The Great Three Book Four: Sunrise
by Cougar Draven
Summary: With a final update 3.30.06, This story is done. RR, please.
1. On The Run

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Sunrise  
  
Chapter 1: On the Run  
  
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A/N: Well, this is the first installment of Sunrise. The story will be Sunset, Sunrise, Awakenings, in that order. Of course, the story focus changes every time. This focuses on...well, read it to find out. Plus, the categorical alignments have changed. In Sunset, the alignment was Humor/Drama. This one is Drama/Romance. I'm pretty sure that Awakenings will be Drama or Drama/Supernatural. In either case, it will tie in completely. It's not just a linear storyline, but more like a three-dimensional lineup. This may be the most complete story I ever write.  
  
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It was morning to Link. Of course, anything could be morning to him, he had to be ready to fight most of the time. However, this particular morning had a sun, so it must have been right.  
  
He was headed to Hyrule Castle to speak with Zelda. Ganon and Morgain were rumored to be causing trouble in the Dark Realm, and the protector sages and Howler could not keep order for long, so Link was needed.  
  
Fire had taken Sky to bury Hunter, who had died following the battle with Morgain. They had not returned, and many thought they were living in either the land of the Gerudo, or they were trying to find a way home. The Machine had remained off, but gossip pointed to Howler turning it on if Morgain escaped. Cougar had to be found. The only problem with finding him is that Howler might not even be able to find him. Even if he could, it would take time, so the decision had to be reached before the seal broke.  
  
Link walked into the castle, knowing that Zelda would have sent soldiers if he had requested, but he could take care of himself. At 23, he could care for himself. He just needed to have a chat with Howler after he talked with Zelda.  
  
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Fire Draven paused to look back at Sky. They had taken up residence in the Shadow Temple after Hunter's burial, because they could get to the Garden that way. Methuselah's Garden, their former headquarters, was in danger of being destroyed by the evil in the Temple, even without Bongo Bongo's leadership. Every so often, Fire would disappear for a day or so, and Sky knew she was visiting the Fire Temple. Being reborn in the caldera had changed her, for sure. Her elemental powers had increased, so she would visit with the Gorons who were left. Darunia had given her power to prevent evil in the Temple, and she used it when necessary. As for Sky, she stayed inside the Temple, as neither of them wanted to be found, in case the Evil Ones were released. They just stayed put.  
  
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Link tripped, and smacked his head on The Machine, knocking the Ace of Spades off the console.  
  
"God DAMN IT!" he yelled, as he put the card back in it's place.  
  
Howler looked back at Link for a moment, and then continued watching the opening to the Dark Realm. It was growing more chaotic with every second, but neither of them could do a thing about it. They were there just so the Evil Ones had a buffer to the outside world. They did not expect to live, should they escape, but they hoped that those outside would be able to escape before they were slaughtered. They just had to wait, now...  
  
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Zelda quietly sat and prayed. Saria had gone back into the Dark Realm to attempt to fend off the Evil that was contained within. So Zelda was alone, hoping that in the end, Link and Howler could stay the Evil once again. She did not expect it, but she hoped for the best. She also hoped that, in the end, Cougar could be found. He was needed.  
  
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The Machine clicked on.  
  
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Link and Howler stood inside the Master Sword chamber, watching the calm patterns of the barrier to the Dark Realm. They had been watching them for nearly two days, with no significant change. Then Howler saw a crack.  
  
"Oh, shit."  
  
"Howler?"  
  
"Back away, now."  
  
They backed, but not before the barrier shattered. Link flew backwards, and Howler was left alone in front of the opening.  
  
"I'll never let you assholes through!"  
  
He spoke too soon, he realized, as his body was flung through a window to the outside. The last thing he saw before unconsciousness was the ground rushing to meet him.  
  
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All Link could see was white.  
  
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Link landed hard on the ground, and immediately shot up. It took him nearly five minutes to realize that he was standing on the ground of Hyrule Field, and no longer in the Temple of Time. He was rather curious why, and so set off towards the Castle once more.  
  
When he neared, he understood. He didn't know how, but he had been saved from the pillage of Hyrule. Castle Town lay in ruins, as did Kakariko Village. The Forest looked untouched, as did the realm of the Zora. Link, shocked, ran like the wind into the Kokiri's Village. When he set foot inside, he was shocked to see the forest scarred from fire. He looked in all the houses, but he found nothing. Finally, dejected and homeless, he entered the Lost Woods.  
  
Finding himself standing before the Forest Temple, he wondered if he should enter. The Temples had been places of evil before, but the evil hadn't touched the world nearly as much then. He stood for a moment, then entered, holding nothing back.  
  
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What he found inside was amazing. The Kokiri who had survived the destruction of the overworld had found a home inside the Temple. Mido had been gone for years, but he found another leader, who told him that a man had come by, looking for Link. The man had said to meet him at the Fire Temple, as soon as he got the message. Of course, the message had been given close to three years previously, which made Link wonder how much time had passed this time.  
  
Link set off to the city of the Gorons, finding it nearly unchanged. He stepped inside the Death Mountain caldera, and immediately understood. The Gorons had spent their time sealing off the entrances, except for to the Fire Temple. Link expected to find Gorons in the Temple, but found none. He was about to leave, when, at the door to the Temple, he heard a voice behind him.  
  
"The Gorons died out nearly a year ago, Link."  
  
Link spun to find Fire Draven, untouched by the years. Fire led him inside the Temple, and led him to Volvagia's room. Inside, he found a sight he had looked for for two years. In the center of the room sat a throne surrounded by people. The contingent was made up of Hunter, Gene, and Sky Draven. On the throne sat Cougar.  
  
"Cougar!"  
  
"I know you've been looking for me. I knew you had. We've actually been waiting for you for a long time. Close to seven years, all told."  
  
"Seven..."  
  
"Yes, you have been gone from your world seven years. From what we can add, this means that this year marks a full twenty since Ganon first attacked Hyrule Castle."  
  
"My God..."  
  
"We know. Come, sit with us in a cooler room, and let us palaver."  
  
------  
  
Link, Cougar, and Fire sat at a table, and they shared their stories, starting with Cougar.  
  
"I flew through the vortex, expecting something expansively dangerous. It is possible to return to my world from here by physical means, but when I saw the state of the land, I had to investigate. I found Fire and Sky here at the Fire Temple, and they told me their stories."  
  
Fire picked up the story from there.  
  
"It's true, Link, you've been gone seven years. I remember that time well. Sky and I hid in the Shadow Temple then. But, something even we could not predict happened. Ganon and Morgain escaped, but not from the Temple of Time. Sky and I recovered Howler while Ganon was busy elsewhere, and he told me what happened before he died. The crack you saw was from the outside, but Howler didn't know until too late. You were thrown into a time vortex, which existed because the Machine was on."  
  
"But...how did they escape?"  
  
"They got into the Garden. Methuselah's Garden was in danger of being destroyed, but we didn't take it too seriously. The combined power of Morgain and Ganon destroyed the Garden, as well as much of the Shadow Temple. We were lucky to escape. We came here, as this is my natural element. When Cougar just walked in the door, we were so happy to see him. He's been here five years himself, we've just been waiting for your time."  
  
"Wow...how in the hell did this all happen? Is it my fault for turning on the Machine?"  
  
"No...you may have saved Hyrule. The Machine still exists, we think. With Hunter and Gene alive, Sky and myself can survive in a time we've lived in. You and Cougar need to go back. You're both behind your time in this place. You don't belong in this future, you belong in a different one. We're going to the Machine today, to get it back. Ganon and Morgain must be stopped."  
  
With that, Gene and Hunter left with Sky. Fire and Cougar followed, after they told Link to stay put in the Temple. He was to be the last hope of Hyrule.  
  
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Cougar and Fire stopped in the doorway to the Temple. Fire looked at Cougar a long moment, then spoke to him.  
  
"Cougar...I just wanted to say this. Some of us may not come back, and just in case, I wanted to say this. I've loved you for close to a year now. You've always helped me when I was here. You've done a lot for me, and I just wanted to say thank you."  
  
She kissed him deeply, then walked away. Cougar, stunned, walked back inside Volvagia's Chamber. Link, seeing the look on his face, inquired.  
  
"Cougar, you ok?"  
  
"I'll be fine, kid. Now, we just wait."  
  
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A/N: Well, that's the first part! I may go for a two-part OVA style this time! R&R please!!  



	2. Chronological Magic

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Sunrise  
  
Chapter 2: Chronological Magic  
  
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A/N: The OVA style I was working for won't work out. First of all, there's two much story (I almost typed stort...haha...) to put in two short chapters. Secondly, I've found out that I enjoy writing this so much, I'm turning this epi of the Saga into the meat. And secondly (or thirdly, for those keeping track), I will be doing OC insertions in here, starting with the biggest in Chapter Three. So look for it!  
  
CDx4  
  
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Cougar sat alone. He had been in this future for five years, and the entire time, he had wondered if he could make a difference had he been present at the final battle that claimed the life of Hyrule. Now, in this new Hyrule, things were different. Lon Lon Ranch had become a city of perversion, much like Cougar's world had New York. Kakariko's graveyard had become the entire city, with Death Mountain completely deserted except for dSi. The Lost Woods were burning slowly, and the Kokiri would die out within twenty years, but they still controlled the forests. The Zora had not been heard of since the passing of King Zora after the Great Pillage. Nobody knew for sure if any of the Zora still lived, for if they did, they stayed hidden. The passageway beneath the falls was closed off, and Jabu-Jabu's lake was sealed off. The Zoras had hidden.  
  
Lake Hylia sprouted its own city-village, a last haven for those preparing to sail for better lands. The Gerudo Valley was no longer the border of the Haunted Wasteland, but instead an oasis in the middle. The Wastes now reached the western edge of Lon Lon City. There were two castles of import. Morgain's Castle lay on the rubble of Hyrule Castle, overlooking the eastern portion of the realm she shared with Ganon, whose castle lay in the west. The country of Hyrule fell in under a week, but seven years on top of that, and changes were obvious. Dampe, the gravedigger, had been defiled, and his soul was now a demonic one, guarding Kakariko Graveyard against all, good or evil. dSi usually had no problems with him, but they could never be sure.  
  
The Six Demons of Legend, as they had come to be known, had been resurrected once again, but Volvagia was instead the personal pet of Ganon. Instead of Volvagia, Ganon had Dark Hylians guarding the Fire Temple. The time would come soon when the soldiers would need disposing of. The Fire Temple was already thought to be haunted.  
  
In any case, Cougar knew that there were three obstacles to the Machine. The first was Volvagia. The second was Bongo Bongo, who had become the personal pet of Morgain. The third was Morgain herself.  
  
Cougar stopped musing to hold one thought. He was still surprised at Fire's declaration of love. Of course, Cougar had his own secret. For four years, he had been working on a prototype Machine, one that was portable. He thought he finally had the design down, but he had to test it one more time, on himself. He would transport himself five minutes into the future for the final test. But first, he had a score to settle.  
  
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Link had gone outside, to the Death Mountain peak. He sat on the edge of the crater, watching Hyrule's corpse fester. He watched minor skirmishes on the border between East and West Hyrule, and he watched as the trees slowly died, and life slowly ended. He looked toward his former home of the Lost Woods, and saw the trees burning savagely. He often wondered how he had let Ganon take him so unawares. Ganon was to blame for Cougar's being gone two years by his clock, and four by Cougar's. And now Ganon was in charge. Morgain too. Damn it, Morgain and Ganon were supposed to be trapped!  
  
Link stared with fire in his eyes, at Morgain's Castle. He knew that Ganon was his real fight, but he wanted revenge, and freedom for Hyrule. If it hadn't been for Morgain, Cougar wouldn't have been gone. Ever. He hated Morgain for that sin, and she would pay in time.  
  
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Fire waited. Hunter and Gene had stopped in the Goron Ruins to pick up some things that they had left there about a month previously. They did it all the time, to check to see if anybody ever came through the ruins. After seven years, they did not need to be discovered right before they got Cougar and Link back to the proper time.  
  
She almost didn't want to let him go, but she knew she had to. It was no longer a decision she could make. Link needed the help, and Cougar had to go back. Besides, perhaps the Fire that existed seven years previously would fall for Cougar the same way she had. All she had was hope, though...  
  
"Ok, nobody's been here."  
  
Fire turned to look at Gene, who had come out first.  
  
"How do you know, Gene?"  
  
"Simple. You don't just leave Rupees behind in a quite obvious spot. It doesn't happen, at least not with the denomination we've left behind. I mean, come on, Cougar himself handed us about two thousand Red. Nobody can pass up twenty large, not even Ganon. It may seem a trifle to him, but he'd take it if he saw it."  
  
"Yeah, he might also watch the place first. At least for a couple months, until he knew where the entire dSi contingent was hiding."  
  
Fire thought for a second, then continued.  
  
"Let's not worry about it, though. If we can get the Machine back, we won't have to worry about it."  
  
"That's not true, Fire. We will still have to worry, but Cougar and Link won't."  
  
"Look, Gene, I don't know about you, but I'd sacrifice my life gladly at this point, even in vain. Hyrule is dead. It's been dead for seven years. I resurrected you and Hunter because otherwise, we'd be dead too. At this point, giving the old Hyrule a fighting chance is much better than any continued existence I can even think of in this wasteland."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Look at us, Gene! Four people from the United States of America, in a land that is both alien to us, and we alien to its residents! You can't honestly tell me that six years here doesn't make you wonder what's been happening in our homes. We're standing in the ruins of a city that was home to a people who ate rocks. Rocks! There are races of people that are basically talking fish, and they were smart enough to shut themselves off when it got hot. There's an entire race of thieves, who happen to live in a desert roughly the size of Montana now! This is a country controlled by two despots, with a castle bigger than any building in America centered in a city of vices. There's a race of forest-dwelling children who never age, and they have fairies. There are six temples in this land where men went to pray, and now four of them house demons. Two entire cities and a strip of land the size of New York City have been turned into a giant graveyard for man, beast, and demon alike. And do you know why this once-beautiful land has turned into such a waste? Do you, Gene? I know why. It's because we failed. We failed to save this prosperous land, and I myself failed doubly, because I did not help in the final battle. We have failed as dSi, Gene. Now we are given a chance to atone for our failures, and you have the arrogance to act like you don't want to help? Then go your own way, Gene. I personally will retrieve the Machine, and send the Hero of Time back with Cougar, to a time when life was better. Go, Gene, there are other worlds than these."  
  
Gene looked at her a long moment, then silently turned towards the Temple of Time, and spoke.  
  
"We go now."  
  
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She stood up after they left. She had been watching Fire and Sky for a long time, and had known their hideout for all of the seven years that she had ruled Eastern Hyrule. Now, she knew exactly what to expect. Link and Cougar had both returned. Pity she'd have to kill them, but she'd torture them first.  
  
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Link walked into Volvagia's Chamber, and called to Cougar. When the Angel of Darkness came over, Link spoke.  
  
"Cougar, I wanted to talk to you."  
  
"Shoot, kid."  
  
"Well, the rest of the guys are going to get the Machine back for us, but...I don't want to go back...at least not right away."  
  
"Explain, Link."  
  
"I have to settle a score now that I can't back in time, because I have the reason now that I don't have then. I want to free Hyrule again."  
  
"Link, that can't be done. The sheer idea is ridiculous. We have to hide to prevent elimination ourselves."  
  
"Cougar, I can do this. This is my time to shine. I'm going to take back what is rightfully mine."  
  
"I won't stop you, but what happens if you die?"  
  
"If I die, then Hyrule deserved its own death. I was the Hero, and I failed. There is no reason for me not to die now, but if I can save this future, then I have the right to try to save the past."  
  
"That may just be the reason we were looking for. Oh, Link, I wanted to show you something."  
  
"What?"  
  
Cougar took out his prototype.  
  
"It's a portable Machine."  
  
"Have you tested it?"  
  
"With little things. Now I'm gonna try it on me. I just wanted you here to verify that it works."  
  
Cougar turned his Machine on, and walked through the vortex, after assuring Link he would return in five minutes. So Link waited, and on the fourth minute, he was surprised from behind.  
  
"So, Hero, remember me? They call me Queen Morgain these days, you know."  
  
Link attempted to spring out, but was knocked out by Morgain. She lifted him in the air, and carried him out, not even noticing Cougar watching from behind.  
  
Cougar thought to himself. He hadn't gotten to her in time to free Link, so he would go on his own. He quickly wrote a note, then stole off into the newly risen moonlight.  
  
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Fire crouched behind a gravestone. She had felt Morgain's dark energy, and had told the others to go inside the Temple while she scouted. Morgain had been moving pretty fast, but Fire could tell that she was carrying something.  
  
Then, the ultimate darkness. Only one person she knew gave off that energy, and she ran back inside the Temple quickly.  
  
"Cougar's on the move to Morgain's Castle."  
  
Hunter looked up.  
  
"Is he crazy?"  
  
"He's following Morgain. We need to get the Machine back to the Fire Temple. I can get us there quickly, she already knows where we're hidden if Cougar had any reason to follow her, so we don't have to hide."  
  
Fire used her elemental control of fire to have dSi transported to the Fire Temple, where they found Cougar's note.  
  
"Am gone to retrieve Link from Morgain. Will explain in person. Cougar"  
  
Fire slammed her fist down, then ran out the door to the Fire Temple, with dSi in tow. She was going to get them back, if it killed her.  
  
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A/N: I'm done with this chapter, as well! RR!!! 


	3. Storm Clouds Arise

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Sunrise

Chapter 3: Storm Clouds Arise

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A/N: Ok, with this chapter, I must put forth some small character age changes. Link is still 23, but Cougar's age must now be 34. Fire, Howler, Sky, Hunter, and Gene are all 31-33, depending on the character (Fire - 33, Howler, 33, Gene - 31, Sky - 31, Hunter - 32). The entire Sunset Saga is becoming a part of a larger story, the story of Cougar Draven...but not a Cougar I've ever written about before. This Cougar is different. This Cougar didn't kick up dSi until his late twenties...the second time around.

Story Note: For those of you who don't know much about anatomy, the sternum is also called the breastbone, and it is the bone that is in the center of the ribcage. There is just no way to say that about a girl, though.

Finally, after almost a month, this chapter of Sunrise is finished. I don't know how long it is, but it was worth the wait, I think. I finally decided to just sit down and write it, and ended up tripling the size of the story. Have fun reading.

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Cougar stepped into Eastern Castle with no weapon. He didn't use them anyway, so he'd left his swords in the Temple. He had come for Link, anyway. Morgain had taken him, to do God knows what to him. If it hadn't been for his dumbass decision to transport himself five minutes ahead, he could have killed her right there. Instead, he had left dSi a note, and had followed Morgain himself. And it wouldn't be long now. Cougar would finally see her get what she deserved.

After five years in the hellish corpse that had once been Hyrule, Cougar knew that his darkness would be discovered if he didn't keep his energy low. That known, the second he stepped within sight of a guard, he powered up, then shaded himself. With the guard knowing he was there, but not being able to see him, he could bring them all to one spot and eliminate them all.

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Fire flew. She was moving faster than most of the others had seen in quite a while, but they could keep up. They had traveled the Ghost Road from Kakariko to Castle Town only once before, so they didn't want to stall too much. The Ghost Road was a natural row of gravestones that led from Dampe's Temple straight to the Temple of Time. Fire hated to see it, because she knew some of the people who lay in the graves. One of them, she didn't know which, belonged to Princess Zelda. Link had guessed that she was dead, but he didn't want to know where she was buried either.

One by one, the Dravens sprinted into the Castle Town, only to meet a flock of ReDead. Fire charged at the leader.

"Ok, boys and girls, it's time to whoop ass."

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Cougar stood before Morgain's throne, and stared her in the eye. She knew he was coming, because she had known he was there. She just didn't want to chance him coming back and overpowering her, so she took Link alone. Link...if it weren't for the fact that he was Cougar's right-hand, she would have taken him to be her own...pity.

"So...Cougar. The rumors were true."

"Rumors? I've never been rumored to exist. Just because I was presumed dead by you jackasses for seven years doesn't mean I am. And you have a friend of mine. And you're going to return him."

"Hardly."

Morgain stood and stretched. She knew that they would fight, and since she hadn't fought in seven years, she'd need to warm up. Cougar, on the other hand, stood firm.

"So, Morgain, you ready to fight me? I've gotten stronger since the last time we spoke."

"I'm sure."

With those words, she took off and flew at him. He never moved. Right as she was about to hit him, he disappeared.

------

Sky stopped moving. She lagged behind nearly half a mile on the Ghost Road before Fire noticed, and flew back.

"Why did you stop?"

"I felt something big. Can't you feel it?"

Fire paused, then agreed with Sky.

"Yeah, I can feel it. It almost feels like Cougar's energy, but in a different way."

"I can go check it out, Fire."

"Not alone. Hunter, Gene, you want to go? I'll deal with Morgain alone if I have to."

Gene almost said he'd stay, but Hunter grabbed him, and together with Sky they flew south. South towards Kakariko... thought Fire, then she continued on.

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Morgain slammed into the wall opposite her throne, and broke through into a new room, that didn't appear to be in her castle. She saw a dark figure staring her in the eyes, and she screamed and ran back into her throne room.

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Cougar was waiting on the throne when she returned.

"So, Morgain. Find something in there you like?"

"You bastard!"

"I'm not responsible for that, but I noticed, and so took advantage of it. You really should try thinking."

"You go to hell!"

"Like I haven't heard that before."

And then he was in her mind.

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You know you're not worth it. It's pointless to even fight me, because I'm that much better than you are. You're not a waste of time, because I'd rather waste time than be forced to face you. It would be more worth my time.

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Link staggered out of the cell he had been in. Cougar had thrown him the key while Morgain was out of the room, and Link had retrieved his weapons. He stood tall for a second, then just stared at Cougar, watching him mentally torture Morgain.

------

Come on, Morgain. You know it, I know it, you know I know it, you can't do shit. It's pointless to argue this time. You've hit a wall, and its name is Cougar.

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Cougar reared back and laughed, then spoke loudly to include Link in the discussion.

"I've known it for years, Morgain. I could have killed you at any time, but for one lucky shot you managed to hit on me seven years ago. I've been on a fourteen-year rampage this time, dear Morgain. You of all people should know that. And of course, if you include the four years I wasn't here, my rampage has been known to the worlds for eighteen years. Eighteen years, Morgain. That's how old I was when I met you, God damn it! I'm sick of having you on my mind, you infernal bitch. It's over...it's finally over."

Cougar's right foot shot out and hooked Morgain's ankles both at once. As she was falling, his left hand swung around, caught her in the sternum, and drove her into the ground with extreme force. He then picked her up by the throat with his left hand, and spoke, more to himself than anything.

"Finally over..."

He then snapped her neck to the left sharply with one twist, then threw her corpse somewhere deep, where it would never bother him again. Finishing with his former rival, he walked over to Link, looking at his tattered clothing as he walked.

"Shit...I need to change. Hang on a sec, bro."

Cougar pulled the mini-Machine and opened a portal, from which he pulled some clothing. Tossing some at Link, he pulled another set from his open portal.

"Put those on. Trust me, dude, the shit you're wearing is going to become very much an issue in a little while. It's nice and durable, but it has no benefit when it comes to stealth, and that's what we need."

Link looked at the clothing, and after a puzzled look to Cougar, began to change.

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Fire stepped into Eastern Castle with no weapon. She used them from time to time, but she had lent her short swords to Sky for the time being. She had come to see if the battle between Cougar and Morgain was over, anyway. It didn't matter who won, Fire would see that Morgain did not leave the castle alive.

If she had to, that was. As she struck further into the castle's dark pathways, she saw what were the signs of a battle's straggling kills off to one side. Then she saw the guards. A pile of over five dozen Dark Hylians just crumpled, all killed either by the sword of a friend, own sword, or Cougar's hands. Satisfied with that, Fire kept on.

Fire wondered to herself what drove Cougar. At 34, he was almost at middle age. Hell, she was 33, and she felt like she was getting older a year every day. At this rate, she'd be a useless fighter by her 34th birthday, which was approaching too goddamn rapidly.

She also wondered what had happened to Cougar. She remembered him at 15, when she was also 15, or very nearly so. Then he moved at 16, and although their entire group kept in touch all through school, after graduation he disappeared. Or so it seemed. Right before her 21st birthday, Cougar Draven showed up at a gathering, aged 23, with ID to prove it. Nobody questioned him when they saw the Machine, and Morgain, who was still friendly at the time, loved the fact that he had seen future times. He never told stories of what he had seen, saying instead that it would be "too much" of a story. Eventually, he dated Morgain...

Which led to this whole damned scenario, thought Fire. If we had only seen her evil before she attacked...damn it.

And then she stumbled upon the throne room.

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Link and Cougar escorted Fire out of the castle to prevent her from vomiting. She had seen Morgain's body, and the blood, and almost retched right there. Cougar had gotten her out, and Link had followed. They were almost at the Ghost Road before Fire looked at them strangely.

"What the hell happened to you guys?"

"I got us some new clothes, Fire. Like?"

"Well, Cougar, the trench over the all-black is nothing new for you. I take it you have the machetes in that coat?"

"I do have them, yes. Some other surprises, as well."

"And Link, I like the leather jacket over the black shirt. Also, I like that Cougar got you to wear jeans, even if they are black. What do you have to say about the black jeans, Cougar?"

"It's all I have?"

"Good enough. Let's go, we should follow Sky."

------

They stepped off the Ghost Road less than an hour later, and as soon as they came within sight of the Shadow Temple, Cougar twitched when he saw what lay ahead.

"Fire...you're not gonna like this."

Ahead of the three of them lay a massacre. Gene and Hunter were dead once more, it was obvious. Sky lay a short distance away, and she was cut. All around them, however, lay dead Dark Hylians, about twenty.

Fire walked over to Sky, and she moved. Sky sat up, bleeding a little from the side. The two watched as Cougar walked around, looking at the bodies. He was murmuring to himself while he worked, too.

"Two slashes on the neck...this one has a broken back...this one was dead before he hit...my God...it's all so familiar..."

Fire shouted to Cougar.

"What the hell are you doing?"

He shouted back, even as he was walking over to them.

"This is all so familiar to me. It intrigues me that there would be a pile of Morgain's soldiers that was killed by Hunter or Gene, even up to their dying breath. Then, over there, there's another section of dead, with a completely different style of death. No man could have killed so many like that and still be killed himself. Those fifteen men over there were killed by a man who had complete control of them. Sky, I want to ask you a question. Did you see anything of the man who killed those others? Like, where he went?"

"Yeah...he went to the Shadow Temple."

Cougar blinked, then spoke to Link.

"Link, take Sky back to the Eastern Castle, then come here. We'll wait for you."

------

Fire looked at the departing pair of Link and Sky, then turned to Cougar.

"Cougar, why is this all familiar to you?"

"It reminds me of an old friend, that's all."

"Is it one of the stories about your future years that you never told?"

"You remember those? That was eleven years ago, Fire. And this old friend isn't just one of the stories...if it wasn't for him, I'd have died over a dozen different times. I owe him a lot, and I sure would like to see him. I haven't, you know. Not since I came back."

"Came back?"

"Maybe I'll explain it to you someday. It's not a story for today, though. Ah, and here comes Link."

------

Cougar stepped into Bongo Bongo's former chamber. The demon Hand lived in Lon Lon City now, but the old room was familiar.

"So this is the place where they broke through. This is the place we broke through. And now, we have to go back in. In to that desolate wasteland."

Link stepped up to the entrance.

"How do you know it's a wasteland?"

"I've seen it, Link. Even in five years, nothing has grown here. I came here last about six months ago. Whatever's in there now is new to me. Let's go."

------

They walked, through caves, caves, caves, all of them the same, except one. A sweet melody wafted through the cave, and it was pleasant, yet strange. Fire looked at Cougar.

"Cougar, what is that?"

"It's a pan flute, honestly. I know the sound of the instrument, as I had a friend who played it once. And the song...hold on...I do believe that whoever is playing that is actually playing "Getting Away with Murder" by Papa Roach. Keep in mind, it's been roughly thirteen years since I've heard the instrument, but the song is right on. It has to be."

They entered the Garden, in complete darkness. Cougar swore, and told Link and Fire to remain where they were, and he would continue. Link took off his jacket, leaving his old tunic shirt on, and Fire leaned against the rock wall. Cougar, not wanting to be left blind, walked toward the sound of the flute. He kept walking, in fact, until he laid his hand on the shoulder of some being. All of a sudden, his arm was behind his back, and a blade was pressed against his throat. The feel of the blade itself gave him his final clue.

"D'you think you could let me go, Kain?"

He was spun around, and he could see suddenly. In front of him stood a man, five feet and nine inches in height, dark of hair and eye, and clothed in all black. Even his aura was dark. Kain Vengarh stood before him in better health than he had ever been.

"Oh my God, Cougar!"

The two men embraced, and were laughing, when they heard Link scream in pain.

------

Fire and Link, not being able to see, were attempting to come up with ideas to see.

"I know, Link, I'll create a torch."

Fire lit up a torch, which she could see...but she could see nothing else. Even when the fire touched Link, she couldn't see him. Oh, but she could hear him. She could hear him scream.

------

Cougar and Kain stood off to the side, watching Link run around with fire on his tunic. They were laughing subtly, but when Cougar realized Link could die, he turned to Kain.

"You can let them see, right?"

"Yeah."

All at once, Link and Fire recoiled as if bitten. Cougar shouted.

"Link! Stop, drop, and roll, you dumbass!"

When his blaze was put out, Cougar handed him another shirt. As he was changing, Cougar noticed Fire looking at his chest, and cleared his throat audibly.

"Oh, sorry, Cougar."

When Link was properly attired and had put the jacket back on, they all went inside Cougar's former headquarters to introduce each other. Cougar looked at Fire, and began.

"I guess I better start this off. This right here is Kain Vengarh, and I've known him for longer than you each have been alive..."

------

"...and for four thousand years, parents would talk of the Great Three to scare their small children to sleep. I feel honored to have replaced the boogeyman."

"But...how..."

"You know it's possible, Fire. We have the Machine."

"I'm just trying to add it all up here. Cougar, you were talking for close to two hours about this."

"Better than having to relive it year by year, my dear."

Link, who had remained pretty much silent at that point, spoke up.

"Cougar, what are we going to do now that Morgain's dead?"

"Well, Link, I think I'll have to ask Mr. Vengarh here, but if all goes well...we're going after Ganon."

Kain, who had also remained silent, spoke.

"Well, Cougar, if you want my opinion, I'm honestly surprised you remember all of that so crisply. I remember a lot of it, but not near as much as you."

"I've had five years in this wasteland of a Hyrule to ponder over it."

"Yes, I follow exactly. I myself have been wandering since we last split up. I've been wandering now...fourteen years, which makes me...34?"

"Holy shit...that's the same for me! I had the Machine, so I've been all over the place...time, actually, but I'm now 34. Wow..."

"It is amazing, isn't it? So, do tell me about Ganon, and the whole reason you're here."

------

Ganon stretched, then stood from his bed. He walked into his throne room, to find a messenger there.

"Your Highness, we have not yet received word from Eastern Castle as to her attack on the Fire Temple. We have sent messengers, but none have returned, and no message has come. What do we do?"

"Well, son, this is why I'm the King of Evil. It's simple. If she's not coming out here, we will go to her. Prepare to leave for Lon Lon Castle immediately."

------

A/N: FINALLY! Ganon's announcement cuts the time that Cougar has to prepare for his battle, and even with the enigmatic Kain by his side, is he ready? Read more (when I have it :P) and find out! 


	4. A New Quest Begins

The Great Three Saga Book Four

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Sunrise

Chapter Four: A New Quest Begins

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A/N: Starting this chapter, all Great Three chapters will have the header I just previewed at the top. I'm too lazy to add it to all the others, but I'll start doing it to this one. I'm also going to start writing the FP Great Three Book One soon, probably after I finish writing both this, and the first chapter of Great Three Book Eight, which is a Dark Tower fic. (Any fan of Stephen King knows the Dark Tower.)

Story Update: Story-wise, this marks the beginning of the second of three stages in which Cougar and Fire Draven, along with Link, and now the dark and standoffish Kain Vengarh must overturn King Ganon of Hyrule to reclaim the freedom of a country lost. Upon completion of this quest, Link will allow himself to travel back in time to the moment in which he was transported forward seven years once again, in order to prevent the future takeover from happening. Link has said to Cougar that if he fails to save Hyrule, then Hyrule didn't deserve to be saved. In the first part of this quest, Link and Cougar reunited, and captured Morgain Draven's Castle in the newly created Barony of Eastern Hyrule. Having killed Morgain, Cougar threw her body into a deep pit, and journeyed to join his friends. Finding Hunter and Gene Draven massacred, and Sky spared by a chance encounter with a dark man who turns out to be Kain Vengarh, Cougar devotes his quest to avenging his friends. The whole while, you, Constant Reader (to steal a Stephen King term), get to attempt to figure out exactly who the Great Three were, and what they did in life. I know already, and I'm dropping hints, but it won't be easy. At the end of the first stage, we discover that Ganon is planning to travel to his castle in Lon Lon City, to attempt to meet with Morgain. In this beginning of the second stage of the quest, a new enemy arises in Eastern Hyrule, threatening the quest entirely. Link, Cougar, Fire, and Kain must vanquish this new enemy to continue. At this point, all I can tell you is that the second stage will end with a tense confrontation between Link and Ganon at Lon Lon City, and the third stage will discuss the heroes' conquest of Western Hyrule, the Haunted Wasteland, and Ganon's Keep in the Spirit Temple. From there, the two members of the Great Three will continue on in their saga. Now then, on with Sunrise!

Chapter Notes: Enter the Oracles series! I couldn't help but bring all my favorite bad guys from Zelda in. That means that Twinrova aren't the only beings awaiting Link, Cougar, Kain, and Fire in Lon Lon Castle. Enjoy!

------

"Well, Kain, to begin, you have to understand what happened in the past...the not-too-distant past for us, about the time we split up."

Kain Vengarh sat in the center of the former dSi headquarters building with Link, Cougar, and Fire. Cougar was relating to Kain what he did not know, as Link and Fire had heard Kain's story.

"After we split up, you went back some ten or twelve thousand years, you remember? I only went back about four, right around where this whole mess started. I was gonna quit the business right up, and in the end, I just started to travel. I hooked up with six of my old friends from the time between graduation and when we started working. You see one of them here, and you've already seen three of the others. Fire was called Nicole back then, and of course there were Hunter and Gene, the victims of that God-awful massacre back there, and Sky, the one you saved. There were two others. Howler died from injuries he sustained in the battle where Ganon took over Hyrule, and Morgain...well, I'll get to her.

"The seven of us traveled worlds and times that even I'd never seen before. We only did it for about a calendar year, too. It was about that time that Morgain, sick of me, as she was dating me at the time, and also sick of the rest of us, took the Machine, and transported herself and the Machine to a time which I don't want to remember. All I can say of it is that there must have been some kind of war, about three thousand years after AC. I remember seeing some surface buildings that I remembered. I had jumped in the portal to get the Machine back, and I did. I threw her into the Machine's portal, not knowing where she would go, and the six of us that remained went back to our original time, where I laid low and monitored all times for Morgain's signal, to make sure she wouldn't cause trouble. Eventually, we found her signal, and we came here. While we were here, she killed Nicole, but I raised her as Fire. Hunter and Gene also died during this time.

"She actually bested me in the second round of our fight, sending me careening through a portal in the Machine that, luckily, only transported me four years ahead. Of course, she got caught by a lucky shot and, along with Ganon, who is a head case himself, got sent into the Dark Realm that accompanies this land. Two years later, Fire and Sky had traveled to the Shadow Temple to hide, and Link and Howler guarded the entrance to the Dark Realm. Unfortunately, Ganon and Morgain got out, and, in a fierce battle, managed to fatally wound Howler, and send Link forward seven years. About two years into the darkness that surrounds this place now, I fall on my ass in front of the Fire Temple. I walked inside, thinking shit, this is wasted. I find Fire and Sky. I raised Hunter and Gene, and we waited and bided our time. Eventually, Link came to us. Fire, Hunter, and Gene went to the Temple of Time to retrieve the Machine, while Link and I remained.

"While we were waiting, Morgain captured Link, and I went after her to her castle. As far as Round Three between Cougar and Morgain went, her body lies at the bottom of a very deep well with a broken neck. It was then that we found out about the massacre of our friends. I sent Sky back to the Eastern Castle to guard our new conquest, and we came here.

"Now, about Ganon. His current incarnation is about one hundred and twenty years old, but he has lived for much of the life of this land, at least a thousand years, which is when his spirit was trapped, and the guiding force of this land, the Triforce, was sealed away. Twenty years ago, by this calendar, Ganon took over Hyrule Castle and captured one piece of the Triforce, with the two others going to Link, and the late Princess Zelda. It appears, Link, that Morgain took Zelda's Triforce of Wisdom from her, as I removed it from Morgain. Of course, Ganon spent seven years in control, until a young Link, seventeen at that time, defeated him, trapped him in the Dark Realm, and laid that timeline to rest. Eleven years later, Ganon and Morgain attacked, and seven years ago, Ganon started his second reign as King of Evil. Link has decided that before we can go back and stop Ganon from taking over in the first place, we have to stop him now, just to prove to ourselves that it's worth it. After the massacre of my friends, I must agree. What do you think, Kain? Put aside finding Deacon for a year or so, and kill this Evil One?"

Kain pondered, a thoughtful look on his dark face, then spoke.

"Let's kick some ass, Cougar. I have a feeling we can teach these two a lot."

------

Ganon opened his door to the outside world. He was standing on the highest balcony of the Desert Castle, which is what he had built over the Gerudo Fortress after he and Morgain had split up Hyrule between them. He could see both Gerudo and Hylian servants running around, preparing to depart for the national capital, Lon Lon City. Of course, the bitch Malon who had lived there would still be alive, no doubt. She had been given to Ingo as personal property seven years ago, and although Ingo had died five years later of a curious head injury, the bitch had a way of living. That would be one thing Ganon would have to attend to. He had many concubines among the Gerudo, many of them very willing to please, but he had no steady lover. If the Lon Lon girl could be cultivated, she would make a fine wife.

He stopped thinking about the bride he'd like to have, and his thoughts turned instead to his co-ruler. Morgain had not been heard from in three days now. That was unheard of, as she was always at her castle at least once every day. There had been a few occasions when his messengers had returned with her non-presence, but some underling had always been at the Castle. Now, it lay empty, with nothing inside. No bodies had been left, and Ganon was growing suspicious. It sounded like the work of the departed warrior Cougar Draven, but nothing could shake that feeling that there was something even more than Cougar out there these days. Cougar had been presumed dead, even by his followers. Two years in the Dark Realm had left him embittered to Link and Cougar, and he would enjoy some payback on them. But payback would have to wait. First, he would have to investigate Eastern Castle.

------

Cougar and Kain closed the door of the Shadow Temple. Not even Ganon would suspect the bodies of Morgain's army were in the Destroyed Temple. Hell, they hadn't even bothered to hide them. The demons in the Temple would attend to the bodies, and Cougar suspected that should this timeline continue, that the Destroyed Temple would be once again a Temple in its own right, controlling much of the surrounding landscape. That would be a dangerous idea, but Cougar did not intend to let the timeline go that far. Cougar laughed, a bitter, hateful laugh. Kain, perturbed, turned to the Dark Draven and asked.

"Cougar, this is no time to be laughing. What the hell's gotten into you?"

"Oh, nothing at all, Kain. I was just recalling what the hell has gotten into me, is all."

"Um...huh?"

"I used to sing aloud to myself, remember? Always weird shit, like 'Getting Away with Murder' or something else we'd listen to. But when we split up, shit, seems like forever ago, I didn't sing anything but one song. 'Boulevard of Broken Dreams' was my anthem for years, Kain. And look in front of us, man. Inside this temple lay roughly two thousand young men who, up until seven years ago, had dreams for life, and we broke them. I killed these young men myself, Kain, and all the blood that lies on my hands makes me wonder why I'm doing this."

"You're doing this to stop a madman. You're doing it because it's right."

"What's right anymore, Kain? I raised my blades to a female, not to mention that I had thought I loved her. I only attacked one chick before Morgain."

"Edward Delgado."

"I always did think that her parents were a little brain-stewed to name their daughter Ed. But still, Kain, in all my life, I've only attacked two women. And dammit, I hate myself for even that. I hate myself for the hundreds of thousands that we must have killed. I hate myself even more for one reason."

"What's that?"

"I feel something wrong from the Eastern Castle. Something that I wish I hadn't sent Fire and Link to."

"Do you know what it is, Cougar?"

"Not a damn clue."

"Then let's go check it out."

"Good idea, Kain."

------

They camped for the night on the Ghost Road, and they both had dreams. Neither of them were good.

------

Cougar was on a battlefield where an untold number of soldiers lay dead and dying, and Cougar was responsible. He looked around him, and what he saw was disturbing. The land of Holodrum lay broken and dying, with the seasons once again plunged into turmoil. Din was dead, Farore dying, and the army was still advancing. He saw a dark figure up ahead, the leader of these men, of course, and Cougar knew his face.

"Onox."

"Ah, Sir Draven! It has been quite a long time, has it not?"

"Why are you here?"

"Because, Cougar, the time has come for us to fight again. You'll recall that I had asked you about a Hero when we first met. Now you camp on a road to meet with that Hero."

"You know...Link?"

"Aye, I know him. He killed me before you even met me. Through the good graces of Twinrova, I've been revived twice, along with my dear companion, who is meeting with your friend right now. We've come to tell you that the time draws near when we shall encounter another again, and that this time, our leader will triumph over the kid."

"Then you had better hope I'm dead by then."

Cougar lunged at Onox, and he disappeared.

------

Kain stood at the top of a tower that reached the heavens. He looked toward the bottom and saw the country of Labrynna sprawled about, slowly becoming enveloped in darkness. Kain saw Nayru bleeding from a sting, and Ralph tied in a net with Tektites surrounding him. He looked up, and saw a fairy floating. The fairy landed, and transformed into a beautiful woman.

"Veran."

"Hello, Kain. It really has been too long. You never write, you know."

"Veran, just because you tried to get my help to cheat on your Dark General boyfriend didn't mean that I liked you. Besides, look what you've done to these people. Ninety percent of them are stone. What do you want?"

"I want to tell you that the time has come again, Kain darling. I'm finally going to see you again."

"Then I'll just have to kill you again."

"I doubt it, dear. My so-called Dark General boyfriend is talking with your friend as we speak, and this time, if we fight, Ganon will win."

"If."

"You seem unconvinced."

"Maybe that's because I'm not convinced. Why don't you fight me now, to prove that you're worth your salt this time around?"

Veran's face contorted in fear, and she disappeared.

------

Cougar and Kain both awoke at the same time, and the look on both of their faces told them what they needed to know. Kain spoke for them both.

"We need to get to Link, Cougar. If Onox and Veran are truly here, then who knows what else could be alive that we thought dead. Maybe even Morg--"

"Don't finish her name. I have enough to worry about without thinking that she could still be alive. Let's get to Eastern Castle."

The two warriors stood, and packed up their camp. When that was finished, they set off down the Ghost Road, and entered former Castle Town. The ReDead that were there were quickly vanquished, and they walked to the Castle.

------

Ganon received a messenger claiming to be from Eastern Castle. The message was simple: All things were ok at Eastern Castle. More word was on the way.

------

Cougar opened the door of Eastern Castle with a loud creak. It seemed to be empty, which was dangerous, but Cougar knew what to do. He dropped to the ground and slowly crawled his way across the floor, stopping only when something tapped him on the shoulder. He looked up, and suddenly all was black.

"So, Cougar, why didn't you just ask to be masked?"

"Ok, so I've been used to stealth. Mask us, then."

Kain did, and the two struck their way further into the castle. Finally, at long last, Cougar saw the throne room, and couldn't believe his eyes. There were three cells in the center. Link was in one of them, Fire in the opposite, and in the center, already mutilated, was Sky. But the most shocking of all was the occupant of the throne. Howler Draven sat where Morgain had once.

Kain bumped into Cougar from behind, not expecting the Dark Draven to have stopped. Cougar whirled around and pushed Kain out of the room.

"Holy shit, dude. That's Howler."

"I thought you said he died."

"He did. And I never revived him. I can attack from in here, right?"

"I suppose. Why?"

"I've got Link's bow and arrows. I'm gonna make him wonder what's going on while I cut Link and Fire out of the cages."

"You might want to hold on to that thought a bit, Cougar. It sounds like Fire is talking."

------

"What happened to you, Howler? What happened?"

"Fire, Fire, Fire... it's all so simple. Lord Ganon revived me with his magic six months ago, in Lon Lon Castle. I was sent to Hylia Swamp North to train, and when I heard about Morgain...well, I felt that someone needed to take her place. I was ready and willing.

"Not to mention the fact that when he raised me from the dead, Lord Ganondorf imbued me with powers beyond anyone's wildest dreams. Not even Cougar can contend with me now."

------

Cougar looked at Kain, smirking.

"He's joking, right? Do you remember our secret weapons?"

"You mean--?"

"Yeah, those. Let's bring them out of mothballs."

------

A/N: Well, it has to have been a year since an update in Sunrise. Ah well. At least it's making a comeback. So, what are the 'secret weapons'? Also, a little bit more about the 'business' will be revealed in the next chapter. At least this time, I'm trying to write. Ja! 


	5. Roadblocks

The Great Three Saga Book Four

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Sunrise

Chapter Five: Roadblocks

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A/N: This is the fifth chapter of Sunrise, and the third that I have finished in less than 24 hours. In fact, less than 12.

Story Notes: Following the sealing of Ganon and Morgain Draven, and the disappearance of Cougar Draven into a time vortex created by The Machine, Link and Howler watch the Temple of Time, waiting for a moment when Ganon and Morgain would try to escape. Two years later, that attempt is made...and is successful. Howler Draven is killed in the attack, and Link is sent through a portal in the Machine seven years forward. In this war-torn Hyrule, Link discoveres the Dravens, and they hunt down and kill Morgain, while at the same time, some are attacked by Dark Hylian troopers. Only Link, Cougar, Fire, and Sky survive, and Sky watches the Eastern Castle while the others investigate a mysterious aura, that turns out to be Kain Vengarh, Cougar's old partner in...something. Cougar and Kain separate from the others, who go to the Eastern Castle and are immediately captured by the new denizen of Eastern Castle...Howler Draven. Sky is murdered before Cougar and Kain arrive, and when we left off, the two were planning on revealing a 'secret weapon' from their old line of work...whatever that was.

Chapter Notes: Well, well, well...the secret weapons are revealed. That means that at least one more series will be crossed in. Enjoy.

------

Howler Draven had gone insane. That much, at least, was obvious. Some other things weren't so clear. How had he been revived, and why did Ganon select him? However, Cougar had decided to shoot first, and ask questions later. Well, not shoot.

"I can control the cosmos, Fire. In time, I'll even destroy Ganon, and take his soul away."

Cougar, able to stand no more, stepped out from behind the throne.

"Howler, only one person I know has ever been able to take souls. You aren't him. You don't even know him."

Howler whirled as Cougar's left hand disappeared, then smirked.

"Ah. Cougar. Been expecting you, you know. Where have you been? And where is your hand currently? Lose it?"

Cougar's hand reappeared from the shadows with a silver rod in it.

"Just the spaces between the stars. Recognize this, Howler? I know you've seen it. You have one. You learned how to build it from my Machine records."

"Ah, the lightsaber. Didn't think you kept it anymore. I suppose I should bring mine out, shouldn't I?"

Howler leapt at Cougar, spearing red fire from his sleeve. Cougar barely got his silver blade in time to parry, and then the battle was on. Howler struck, Cougar parried. Cougar struck, Howler parried. Howler attempted to bring a second blade out, a full-length sword, but Cougar flicked his wrist twice, the first strike halving the sword, the second parrying Howler's blade.

------

Ganon was concerned. The rapid changes in report from Eastern Castle led him to believe that Morgain was almost certainly dead. That would certainly prove the return of either Cougar or Link. Morgain had told him of her suspicion of the Draven hiding spot in the Fire Temple, but never of Cougar or Link. Ganon could only assume this meant she wanted to deal with them herself. Obviously, she had failed.

Of course, the second message was confusing. No Draven could have given that message, except one. Howler Draven had been training in the swamps north of Lake Hylia for the past five months. Perhaps he could have taken over at the castle.

Not like that was convincing for Ganon. Howler had died easily the first time. He'd probably die quickly again. Even if he did profess to be a greater swordsman with a better sword than any man alive, Ganon was unconvinced.

------

Cougar parried three attacks, his native Djem So directing his attacks for him. He whirled, striking out with his blade, and catching Howler off guard long enough to strike with his foot. What he didn't expect was Howler to catch it. Certainly he didn't see the handle of the metal sword to hit him in the face, either. A red blade swung down towards Cougar's face.

------

Onox and Veran were not pleased. Lord Ganon had instructed them to attempt to soften Malon, and they were having a tough time with it. And to top it off, Ganon had sent a message indicating his impending visit to Lon Lon City, where Ganon would give them new assignments. Veran was almost sure that hers involved taking care of Ganon's pet, Volvagia. Onox was less sure. He had heard about a new band of marauders on the road, but wasn't sure who was in it. He had heard reports of both Link and Cougar Draven possibly being involved though. Onox was pleased about that, at least. He had scores to settle with both of them.

------

Howler was perturbed. His blade seemed to not have reached Cougar. In fact, there seemed to be another blade in the way, one of a golden color. He followed the blade to a hilt not that unlike Cougar's, and hands leading to a warrior, equaling him in height, with hair of the blackest jet, and eyes matching his golden blade. Howler drew back, then red met gold, and Sith and Jedi looked each other in the eye once more.

"Y'know, Kain, I could have blocked it."

"I know, Cougar. I think it's time you took our fellow travelers and left, though. He's using Ataro, you know. He just hasn't shown it."

"I understand, Kain. Show him Soresu."

Cougar stood, cracking his neck, then walked amidst a whirlwind of color to two identical cages. With one sweeping motion, two locks hit the blood-stained floor, and Cougar's lightsaber was hung on his belt. Link and Fire followed Cougar until the entrance to the Castle, then Fire turned back.

"Cougar, Sky's body..."

"Leave it. It's too dangerous for a fight to include any civilians. We can't protect you with a psychotic Sith on the loose."

"Then...what about Kain?"

"He can handle himself. Howler isn't the fiercest Sith we ever faced."

"Then who was...Cougar?"

Not answering, Cougar continued walking.

------

Kain was elated. He hadn't used his lightsaber in over two years, and it had been fifteen since he had battled with another Force-user. He was curious to know who Howler's Master had been, but had an idea that this battle would not include questions like that. In fact, he had an idea that this battle wouldn't include questions of any kind.

Kain closed himself off from the world and let the Force take him inside a high place. From there, he could thoughtlessly take action. A splash of will, and gold flared into crimson, pushing a Lord of the Sith back. A ripple, and colors collided with a brilliant flash. Kain was home again.

------

Silver flashed and a ReDead fell apart, quite literally. Fire, who had confessed her love for him only five days earlier, was concerned. He hadn't spoken since he had left Eastern Castle, and the strength he was using was nearly disintegrating the ReDead. She had never sensed the kind of pain from him that she felt then. It just didn't make sense.

"Cougar? ...Are you ok?"

Another ReDead flew apart, and Cougar used the Force to throw two onto Link's Master Sword, then dissected the last two with a single sweep of his shining blade.

"Better now. I needed to purge a little there."

"What's going on? Tell me. I really want to know."

"This may take a while, Fire."

"Well, do we have time? You know Vengarh better than we do, and he is fighting your former best friend."

Cougar sighed.

"...we've got time."

------

Years later, long after his memory was robbed of him, an old Hylian monk would tell his children of a wonderful sunrise he had seen many years before. He was a monk who could connect with other worlds. For now, though, he viewed the mingled red and gold with awe, and quite a bit of fear. He stayed for a few minutes, watching the colors swish and ripple, then he moved on.

------

Kain was more than a little frustrated. Howler was a decent swordsman on his own, and he possessed a decent knowledge of the Force, but the power the Dark Side had lent him had turned him into a powerful coward. Every few strikes, Howler Force-leapt over Kain and continued the attack. It wasn't the strength of Howler that troubled Kain, though, as he had dealt with a Sith Lord far more powerful than Howler could ever dream of being.

What troubled Kain was the void he sensed from Cougar. He had only sensed that darkness in the Shadow King once before, and that was a time he didn't want to face again. He feared for Fire.

------

"Another of the stories I should have told you. We Great Three had lain dormant for several thousand years, truly. When we awoke, each of us thought we were the last. We were united in battle against another common foe soon enough, though, and it was corruption. We found each other at a conscription office for the army that we would serve. They ran tests on us, each of us. Oh, before I forget, Fire. You've learned to accept what's been told you, right?"

"Yes, I think. After all, don't we stand in the aftermath of a video game? And didn't I see you use a weapon only conceived of in a movie?"

"Exactly. They ran tests on us, and discovered that Kain and I contained an extremely high amount of a substance that they were looking for. This substance, we later learned, is called a midichlorian. Midichlorians speak to our cells, and tell us the will of the Force. Kain and I have always thought that our final battle against Ed Delgado and her minions on First Earth produced the midichlorians inside us."

"How?"

"We're not sure, but it seems only logical. Deacon had already fallen into the Thousand-Year Dream by then, and it was the only battle of the war that only Kain and I saw. Plus, there were combinations of chemicals that even I didn't know. Anything could have happened."

"Then how did Howler gain this ability? He wasn't with you."

"I've felt him in the Force. He's a natural Force user."

"Oh. Please, continue."

"Well, they selected us for training, and sent us into Time Freezers. I still haven't quite replicated one of them, but if you enter one, you don't age, and no matter how long you stay, time never changes. They had developed a technology to raise Jedi Masters from the dead, to train the Force-users for battle. We were to be the first, since we had the highest count. I found out later that Kain's Master was Obi-Wan Kenobi."

"And your own?"

"Do you know the name Anakin Skywalker?"

------

Kain felt the dread lessen, but at the same time, he didn't want to take chances. Veran or Ganon could be on the way to Eastern Castle. It was time to finish the battle.

He bided his time, sinking into Soresu to deflect attacks from every angle, all the while looking for an opportunity to finish Howler's attacks. Flipping around, Howler pressed every attack he could, but never succeeded in taking Kain's head. Finally, his anger got the best of him, and he struck away. Kain's blade flashed twice, and Howler's blade hand hit the ground, with the lower half of the hilt in it. The upper half skittered into a deep well, detonating at the bottom.

Howler stared at Kain in utter shock. Kain, unaccustomed to feeling remorse, thrust his blade into Howler's torso, then dragged it up. The limp body fell away, and Kain sliced it into a few more pieces, then produced a lighter and lit the pieces.

Walking away from the immolating corpse, Kain smiled. Another good job done.

------

"Master Anakin was always good to me. He trained me, and told me stories. He told me of the difference between Dark and Light, and that only I could choose the path I walk. He told me of Jedi and Sith, and what it was like to be both. He told good and bad of both, and told me that the one truth is this: The actions alone do not connotate Dark or Light. Only intention does. I spent roughly twenty years under his training, emerging only when I felt I was strong enough with myself to properly execute his teachings. I was wrong."

Cougar smiled sadly, and looked at the stars.

"The Sith Lord Kain faced that was stronger than all before, even Sidious...was me."

------

Cougar was introspective once again. He constantly wondered if he could save Fire. He couldn't save Deacon...or Sky...or Howler. How could he save someone he loved if he couldn't save his friends?

------

Link was confused. He didn't know what kind of magic a Jedi used, but Cougar was very skilled with it. He was glad to have him on his side, even though he was unpredictable.

------

Fire wanted to cry. She hated hearing about his pain, but she knew she needed to hear it, he needed her to. He felt as if she wouldn't be safe until she knew.

------

Kain placed a few metal canisters around Eastern Castle, then started sprinting. Maybe, if he got far enough back that the shockwave wouldn't bowl him over, he could watch some quite interesting fireworks.

------

"It was the last battle of the war. All things are. Except that I caused the end of the war all at once. The three of us were fighting, Kain and I with our sabers, and Deacon with his soul-stealing technique. The enemy sent a single missile towards our command center, because the fighting had been so fierce, that we Three were the only people left on our side, and there was only one squadron of men of the enemy left. The missile allowed their entrance, and apparently activated the Machine. We fought hand-to-hand for a bit of time, and then an attack slipped past Deacon. He got thrown into the portal of the Machine, and I lost it. I succumbed to my rage, and slaughtered them all. Kain attempted to calm me down, and I attacked him. He took my lightsabers from me, and I ran. Every second, I sank deeper into my rage, into the Dark Side. Well, sort of. I built a new lightsaber, with a red blade, and for three years, I fought a vigilante's war, a war to rebuild the government that had collapsed. Finally, during a raid by a team that I had joined, I sensed a Jedi. He was working with us, so we finished our work, then we battled. During that battle, Kain cut my lightsaber in half. The Dark Side is weak against those who believe in themselves."

Cougar was about to continue, but Kain Vengarh sprinted past, and they followed him.

About a mile outside Castle Town, Kain finally stopped, and spun around, pointing at the castle. The rest looked, and as they turned, Eastern Castle exploded. Most of the castle was disintegrated instantly, with some smaller parts burning. They all cheered, and then when the fires were out, they started on the road to Lon Lon City.

------

"Lord Ganon, I'm afraid I have some bad news."

The servant died three seconds after the news was given, and the second one hurried to follow the orders given him.

"You. Go summon General Onox. I want him here in ten minutes."

------

A/N: Dear God. Less than a day. Again. This is insane. Ah well. At least I'm back on track. Now it's up to you to wait until I write Onox's orders. Let me tell you, chapter 6 will be worth the wait. 


	6. Only One Army

The Great Three Saga Book Four

The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Sunrise

Chapter Six: Only One Army?

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A/N: Well, since I got my computer back, I've completed two chapters of Sunrise. Chapter 4 was almost done, but I added a completely separate story element, and changed one subtle thing. The change is reflected in Chapter 3, which I also updated. Chapter 5 reveals the subtle change for sure, and in this one, I'll talk more about the third member of the Great Three, Deacon. The updated list of canons that I'll draw from is as follows as of now, January 24, 2006: Legend of Zelda, Dark Tower, Star Wars, Inu-Yasha, and Onimusha 3. Or perhaps I should say fanon. Whatever.

Story Notes: Cougar Draven and Kain Vengarh revealed themselves both to Howler Draven, and to the captive Link and Fire, as Jedi Masters, and Howler revealed himself as a Sith Lord, first defeating Cougar with a cheap shot, then battling Kain. Cougar escaped Eastern Castle with Fire and Link, then after clearing Castle Town of ReDead, he explained his own history in the Dark Side, including his education under Anakin Skywalker. Meanwhile, Kain, battling Howler, shows no mercy in slaying him, then sets bombs around the perimeter, completely destroying the castle, and most of Castle Town as well. Roadblocks ends with Ganon calling for Onox.

Chapter Notes: This chapter will be mostly backstory. I need to do a little background on Deacon, and in this chapter, The Great Three's previous occupation will be revealed. Oh, and the chapter title will be used twice, and only twice.

------

Kain and Cougar sat on the plains of Hyrule Field with Link and Fire. They were less than three miles from the borders to the Hylian Wasteland, but this was the safest place to hide. They'd only been there a day or two, but they hoped to rest for a while before mounting an assault on Lon Lon City. Kain was exuding good cheer on this particular day, a feat Cougar had not seen in some time. Before the wars, he thought.

"Man, Cougar, what a fuckin' rush. That was incredible."

"Yeah, you always did enjoy blowing shit up. I do hope you didn't use all your ordnance, though."

"Why?"

"Why, Kain? Because our quest is to kill Ganon, and that requires not just taking out a psychotic immortal, but also a nine-foot tall behemoth that can turn into a dragon, and a sorceress who can't decide if she'd rather fuck you or frag you. That's why. Not to mention any number of soldiers."

"We can handle soldiers, Cougar."

"I know. I just don't want to drop our guard. This is like old times, Kain. Don't think anything else of it. This is like the wars, and like the first year we went searching for Deacon. Not to mention, Onox mentioned something about Twinrova. That means ugly fuckin' witches who can take more hits than Cheech and Chong."

Link, who had been practicing a few sword techniques Cougar and Kain had shown him, tripped, and would have impaled himself on his sword if not for a quick Force-grab from Cougar.

"You ok, Link?"

"Did you just say Onox?"

"Yeah, he and Veran are waiting for us in Lon Lon City. Don't worry, Link, Kain and I have dealt with them before. We can kill them, no problem."

Cougar stood up to hand the Master Sword back to Link, then when he sat back down, he noticed Fire's expression.

"And what of you, my dear? What fashes thee?"

"I'm just wondering about this Deacon guy you two keep mentioning. What was he like, and all? Why do you guys want to find him again?"

"Well, the reason why we want to find him is because he's a very good friend. Always was. And as for who he is...do you want to start this tale, Kain?"

------

General Onox stood in front of Ganondorf, King of Evil, called Ganon. Ganon was pacing back and forth in his grandiose office, which was more of a throne room. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Ganon faced the General.

"Onox, what have you been doing since you arrived here?"

"Well, Lord Ganon, I've been attempting to culture that bohemian of a woman you have picked as a wife. It hasn't been easy, sir. She's been throwing things at Veran and I almost nonstop for a week, and she actually hit me with a heavy object yesterday. Why do you ask, sir?"

"Onox, I have new assignments for you and Veran. Veran is being promoted to third in command, and as such, will have the title Steward of Lon Lon. She will control this castle in my absence. As for you, you will be the Supreme Commander of the Hylian Army."

"Thank you, sir!"

"Don't thank me yet, Onox. I have an initial assignment for you. I want you to take an army, travel to Eastern Castle, or rather what's left of it, and figure out what the hell happened there."

"Well, my lord, I think I can tell you already."

"Well?"

"Cougar Draven is back, sir."

"Then take your army, and kill him. Anyone else he has with him, as well."

"Yes, sir. Uh, Lord Ganon?"

"Yes, Onox?"

"Do we have only one army?"

------

"Deacon was an...interesting guy when he got with us. I suppose he was a normal enough guy when he was alone, or with his girl, Jamie, but with us...well, let's say that Cougar and I took the heat for chopping that cop car in half during the war on Second Earth, but it was his damn fault. Ah well, he was still an awesome dude. First, you know Cougar's real name is John Hetfield, right? 'Course you do, Fire, you've known him, what, twenty years? As for my real name, it's Matt Cane. Deacon was known as Uriel Lopez. After we went through Delgado's torture chambers and decided not to serve her, we took a few years off. When Cougar came looking for me, we decided that it was time to take the fight to Delgado. We went looking for Uriel, and we found him, doing volunteer service at a church near the house he and Jamie had. I was joking around, called him Deacon. I guess it stuck. It's rare we even use his last name anymore."

"Wait. Delgado's torture chambers? Cougar, what's he mean? Real torture?"

"Right, Fire. There were three sections in the chambers. I was placed in the Warrior block, Kain in the Soldier block, and Deacon in the Assassin block. It was said that the three last standing would earn the title Perfect, and be part of the Great Three, Delgado's hand-picked generals. We turned her down, and she tried to have us killed. Let's just say it didn't work very well."

"What?"

"Fire, I won't lie. Kain, Deacon, and I used to be mercenaries. Well, not so much mercenaries. That implies a certain degree of greed. We didn't kill for the money. We were after Delgado, from the first to the last. There was only righteous anger."

"Cougar's right, Fire. Our original mission under Delgado was to test us. We were given two guns each, plus a weapon of choice for each of us. Any weapon, any culture, anything possible, and they'd get it for us. This was before we saw each other. We had no idea which of us had survived. I chose two katanas, in deference to the fact that soldiers traditionally carried some sort of bladed weapon, and the fact that Japanese steel is, quite honestly, the source of the best weaponry known to man. Deacon chose a single katana, preferring to work in silence, and also for the structural reasons I did. Cougar, submitting to his love for single-minded destruction and carnage, chose a naginata, a weapon he could wield with both hands and become a whirlwind of fury. I understand Deacon has one that can actually become a cyclone."

"Aye, and I upgraded my original naginata to use plasma blades. In effect, it's a Lightsaber naginata."

"How the hell?"

"A story for another day, Kain. Continue."

"Yes, well, our first mission sent each of us, with a legion of troops, converging on the same field. The intended effect was for us to point one gun at one man, and the other at the second, showing self-preservation, and obedience to a master. When we reached the clearing, we dropped our guns, and slaughtered the troops under our command with our blades. We then started work on a plan that saved the United States for quite some time. But only some. World War III ended with us disarming Delgado, but as we understand it, there were a total of six World Wars before the United States Government was dissolved, in favor of something called First Earth. However, the man who ran First Earth, a despot named Melchior Azareth, was dethroned, and something happened. We're not sure what exactly, only that humanity was primarily space-dwelling for three thousand years. In fact, if humans hadn't begun settling Earth again, we might not have been found."

"So, what's your point? Who is Deacon, and why is he not here?"

"Well, after Cougar moved away from you guys, he moved to Sussex Ridge, which is where Deacon and I are from. Actually, Deacon's from Mexico originally, but still, he lived in Sussex Ridge. We were friends before we split up after school. We all met girls, and our lives took us separate paths. Amai and myself lived in Maryland, and Deacon and Jamie moved to Colorado, but Cougar stayed in Illinois. No clue exactly what he was doing, only that we reunited for two months, during the chambers. This was after Delgado's squads killed Amai. Deacon was different, though. He always kept his cool under pressure. He was raised different, I guess. In any case, all you need to know about Deacon is that he's level-headed, and probably desperate to get back to Jamie. Would you agree, Cougar?"

"Yeah, that sounds like him. As for why he's not here...well, Second Earth was our fault to begin with. The war was in the outlying settlements, and the Earth colonies were safe. They were trying to remain neutral. Then they discovered us. See, Ed Delgado had a bad way about staying alive. So far, we still don't know if she's dead for sure. She had thought that she could take over Second Earth, but she didn't count on us. When she found us, she attempted to kill us by launching a strike mission on Earth. Of course, this brought Earth into the war, and Kain and I were trained as Jedi. When we emerged, Deacon was there, fully ready for battle. He was an Onimusha, and he fought with blades powered by a gauntlet he wore on his right arm, and his prize was the souls of the fallen. We fought a war for three months, until we finally landed a mortal blow on the army, destroying the command ship, with almost all of the troops on it. Delgado managed one last strike force, and dropped one ship on Earth, where we were. It came down to the three of us, and a single battalion. We were trying to protect the Machine, because we sensed we could get back to where we came from. During the battle, some dead body must have hit the Machine, which was twenty feet underground, when we threw it off the platform we were battling on. All I know is that the strike ship crashed into the barracks, and Deacon fell into an open portal. We haven't seen him since, and I slaughtered the armies blindly. That's when I turned to the Dark."

------

Onox clamped the final piece of armor, his right gauntlet, on, and stood. This might be the last time he saw his barracks, but he had a job to do. He mounted his horse, stole one longing glance at Veran, and rode to his troops.

Veran, meanwhile, cried. She knew that if Cougar and Kain were there, Onox didn't stand a chance. She didn't care if Kain was one of the most beautiful creatures she'd ever met. If he so much as harmed Onox...he'd pay.

The sun set on Lon Lon City as three thousand men rode off. It was the largest fighting force that Hyrule had seen in thirty years, and it was hunting one man. Surely they didn't need that many, and surely he'd be subdued easily. Lord Ganon was never wrong.

------

Fire stood and stretched. They'd been talking all day, and it was time to get some rest, in her opinion. She did want to meet Deacon, and she'd follow Cougar anywhere.

"So, boys, how about we get some rest? Kain, Link, you guys can sleep over there."

"Fire, honestly. We're in public."

"Oh, shut up, Kain. You know damn well that Fire and I won't do anything. Not outside. Grass scratches, you sick fuck."

"Actually, I attribute that particular phrase to you, my old friend."

"Don't make me get my lightsaber. Go to sleep."

Link, who had been silent most of the day, content to just listen, suddenly spoke up.

"Cougar, look! To the southeast!"

The other three spun to see a mass of men on horseback, riding towards the remains of Eastern Castle. Leading them was a man, easily nine feet tall, wearing tough armor, and carrying a large hammer. Cougar seethed through his teeth, saying the name that echoed through everyone's minds.

"Onox."

------

Onox rode through Castle Town, leaving his men to slaughter ReDead who were always spawning in the decrepit village. He himself went on to see what had happened to the Castle itself, and even he was shocked by the sight.

The Castle was in ruins, and the ruins covered more than three times the land mass that the original building had. Three acres of forest behind the castle had burnt down, and Morgain's Green Wood was still burning. Nothing had survived. Onox could feel the more painful truth, as well.

The Triforce of Wisdom was missing.

------

Cougar strode forcefully. It would likely take him most of the night, but he intended to be planted on the road between Lon Lon and Eastern Castle by dawn, or whenever Onox decided to ride back toward his master. Fire had objected, of course.

"Cougar, are you insane? You can't take on an army all by yourself! It'd be suicide!"

"Only one army? It wouldn't be the first time, Fire. I've taken on armies ten times larger than that, and won. Hell, once I destroyed an entire Marines base while drunk. You remember that, Kain?"

"Remember? I was the one who had to argue your case to Second Earth judges. If we hadn't saved them from Delgado, they'd have tried to shoot you then and there, damn it!"

"Yeah, and it wouldn't have worked. I'm going."

"Well, I'm going with you. Two Jedi stand a better chance."

"Well, if you two are going, so am I."

"Damn it, Fire, Kain and I know what we're up against. We are responsible for ourselves. I can't allow myself to be responsible for you and Link as well. You two stay."

"Hell no! I--"

"He's right, Fire. We're generals. Let us fight. You'll get your chance. Both of you."

------

Onox called his men. The sun was rising, and it was a clear day to search for Draven on. They rode out of Castle Town to a surprise. Onox dismounted.

"Well, hello, Cougar. I was honestly expecting to have to hunt you down."

"Wouldn't give you the pleasure. Shall we fight now, or shall I eliminate the army first?"

"Ah, no, I've got a surprise for you. Oh, I'm sorry. Hello, Master Vengarh. Veran told me to tell you hello."

"She would. What are your surprises, Onox? Guns?"

"Ha! No, I'd not sink that low. Something that Howler procured through the Machine for Ganon and Morgain close to three months ago. I've been training men in the Wasteland since then. I believe you know the men."

Onox stepped aside, and two figures clad in black strode forward. As one, they drew swords that crackled with energy. Each of them removed their helm, and Cougar drew back in shock.

"Yes, I believe you've met Hunter and Gene before. Staying in the Temple was your mistake. You're a fool. I've outfitted them with weapons designed by Howler to defeat your light blades. I believe them a match for you now."

------

Fire looked to the sky, and saw the clouds rolling in.

"Hey, Link. Wasn't it clear ten minutes ago?"

"Yeah. That's odd. What's up with it?"

"I don't know, but I'm going to tell Cougar about it."

Fire and Link started running.

------

A/N: Done. Now I need to figure out how to tell the next part of the tale. 


	7. A Religious Experience

The Great Three Saga Book Four

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Sunrise

Chapter Seven: A Religious Experience

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A/N: Well, shit. It's been over two years since I started this trilogy. At first, Sunset was supposed to be a stand-alone story, but I've built on top of it, and the story has grown. Last year, it was intended to be a three-part story cycle, and now, it's more like ten parts. Hell, even Sunrise has grown. I had intended to do a short two-part story, and look at this. Chapter Seven. Whatever, right?

Story Notes: While Cougar and Fire Draven, Kain Vengarh, and Link relax after the defeat of Howler, Ganon orders Onox to report on Eastern Castle, and to kill Cougar Draven. His army sets off while Cougar and Kain tell stories of Deacon, the third member of the Great Three. Onox's armies are confronted by Cougar and Kain, and Onox reveals that his secret weapons against the Jedi are evil reincarnations of Hunter and Gene Draven, armed with lightsaber-resistant blades. Link and Fire follow the others, concerned about the changing inclement weather.

Chapter Notes: The ever-changing landscape of this series is going to make this yet another focal point of the series. And hell, for those of you who don't know...you'll find out what it means to be an Onimusha. Of course, I dropped enough hints throughout the last chapter, the title of this one should give it away. However...I won't spoil the surprise for anyone who hasn't figured it out yet. Oh, and about the finish to the first part of the battle against Onox (Hunter and Gene), yes, I believe in zombies. Also, I've noticed a small tendency in the story to shift further and further away from Link. There is a reason for this.

------

Cougar looked from Hunter to Gene, knowing that one slipped strike could cost him his life. He'd trained them as men, and Onox had trained them as...something else. There was an air about them that spoke of something that should be there, and wasn't. He hoped he could take one of them, and that Kain could take the other. He didn't want to die by the hand of one of his friends, even if his friend was no longer there.

------

The thunder rumbled overhead, and every man looked skyward at the first flash of lightning on this previously clear day. Every man, that is, except five. Just for an instant, every other man looked skyward. But sometimes, an instant is all that we need to lose track. When the skies died down, three of the men were gone.

------

Kain stared, expressionless. He wouldn't get involved unless he had to, but something about these creatures...he'd seen the like before, he just couldn't remember where. And then there was Onox. He knew the general to be an honorable person, but didn't trust the man until the fight was over.

------

Onox watched the confrontation brewing with anxiety in his soul. He wanted to complete the mission quickly and go home. The new Ganon was something...else. The first time he'd helped to resurrect Ganon, it was a mindless beast in the form of a pig, as his mind was still locked away. Now, Onox felt the full brunt of Ganon's evil. Something about him made Onox uneasy...something like the treachery he'd seen when Morgain died. No rage, just a replacement.

------

Cougar sighed. He looked into the dead eyes of first Gene, then Hunter. Then he moved.

------

One second is all it takes for mortal men to lose sight of the things that are in front of them. One second earlier, two undead soldiers and a Jedi Master stood eye-to-eye. Now, they were gone.

------

Cougar's saber met Gene's sword, then Hunter's. Then he fell into the Force, and everything came at once. As he dodged one, he parried the other. He struck with blade and foot as one, and he leapt over a head every now and then to send them crashing into each other. The Force led him through the battle.

------

Fire and Link sprinted towards the eye of the storm. However, the weather seemed to be getting worse as they approached the battle. Fire knew that Cougar had to know how wrong the storm felt...but at this point, she just wanted to see him, to make sure he was still alive. They entered the area just in time for Fire to watch the end.

------

Duck, parry, and strike. It was a repetitive pattern, but one that worked. At least if the mud hadn't come. Cougar slipped, and he struck out. He felt a blade sink through his stomach as his ripped into Hunter's side.

------

Fire caught Cougar just before he hit the ground, and Hunter and Gene leapt away. Amazingly, Hunter's wound healed almost instantly. Cougar's, however, did not.

Kain ran over and knelt beside Fire in the grass.

"Fire, will he live?"

"Yes, but I need some time to heal him. Can you keep those abominations off of us, and explain to me later why they appear to be my friends?"

"I can do both, and will."

Kain stood and faced Hunter and Gene. Activating his lightsaber, he sprang at them. Battling them was interesting. They had a style eerily like Cougar, but without the emotion that powered Cougar's style. No rage, no kindness. No righteous anger, nothing. It would almost be a cinch to fight one...but there were two. And each had the strength of Kain and Cougar put together, and doubled. Not to mention the uselessness of physical harm. Kain sighed. He was in for a difficult fight.

------

The lightning flashed, and the figure stepped onto the plain. He was seventy feet from the main battle, and yet none but two could have ever sensed him unless he wanted to be seen. One of the two was incapacitated, and the other was busy. The figure walked towards his downed friend, and waited for someone to notice him.

------

Kain narrowly missed a killing blow from Hunter, and in doing so, took a slash to the arm from Gene. He said a quick prayer to a God he hadn't spoken to in fifteen years that he'd survive this, which Onox heard, and laughed.

"You think your God can help you? Where is your God?"

Kain felt something at the back of his mind, and whirled towards Cougar. Seeing the presence there, he smiled.

"I do believe that's a sign that he's looking out for us."

------

Cougar knew that Fire was tending to his wounds. Despite his anger for her putting herself in harm's way, he loved her for her caring. Then he sensed an old friend above him, and everything fell into place.

------

Fire looked up to see a man who hadn't been there before. He had brown skin, black hair, and a goatee not too different from Cougar's. He had almost identical tattoos on his shoulders, and a tattoo of a dragon on his uncovered chest. On his arms he wore metal gauntlets with blue orbs in them. He spoke in an easy-going tone.

"What the hell happened to him?"

"Those two guys attacked him. I'm working on healing him."

"Ah. The ones that Kain appears to be fighting?"

"Yeah, those are the ones. I think they're immortal, though."

The man started to walk towards the fight, until he felt a tug at the leg of his pants. He turned to see Cougar looking up at him, and he listened as Cougar whispered two words.

"Deacon...Solanum."

------

Kain heard the words, and swore under his breath. It made sense, though. Solanum was known on Second Earth as the Hand of Delgado, and for good reason. Sometime in the six years before the Great Three had been reawakened, Edward Delgado had discovered the effects of Solanum. It had turned all those infected with it into zombies. And yes, the wound recovery Hunter had shown would be a zombie trait.

Kain's mind turned to the second gauntlet Deacon wore. He had grown accustomed to the gauntlet on his right arm, carrying the powerful Raizan, Shippuu, and Enryuu weapons, and later, the Tenso, Kuga, and Chigo powers. However, he'd never seen the other gauntlet. It worried him.

However, he'd concern himself with that later. He knew that there was only one assured weakness for zombies.

------

Deacon and Kain leapt into battle, back to back. Deacon's right arm glowed, and a fierce-looking blue sword appeared in his hand, and immediately crackled with energy. Lightning shot from the blade and picked Hunter up, smashing him against a tree nearby. He walked towards the fallen undead, and deftly severed its head, then turned to watch Kain, who had Force-leapt over Gene, driving his blade through the zombie's chest. He then spun, slicing the head from the body of the damned. The two men, one soldier, one assassin, then strode towards Cougar, and drawing upon their powers, shot a pale light from their bodies. Cougar stood almost instantaneously, and regarded Deacon coolly.

"It's been a while, old friend."

"Indeed. Took you boys long enough to find me."

"It's been eighteen years for us, Deacon."

"Damn. It's been thirteen, but that's still long enough. Who's the big guy?"

"Ah yes. Onox! Perhaps you'd better get out of here. This is the one chance I'll give you."

"Understood, Master Draven."

Onox's armies rode off towards Lon Lon, leaving the Great Three, Link, and Fire standing alone in the field. Kain broke the silence.

"Well, come on! We've got some shelter near here."

------

Onox reared his horse two miles from the city, then dismounted, handing the reins to his captain. He then turned to face his troops.

"I'll not go back to face punishment from that tyrant. I'm going to train somewhere. Any of you who wish to come with me are more than welcome to."

Roughly a hundred men dismounted, and the group of traitors walked east, away from the Gerudo-controlled half of Hyrule. The rest of the army, under the command of the captain, rode into the city to give Ganon the bad news.

------

It took most of the two-hour walk to the shelters for it to dawn on Fire. She remembered hearing about a dictator in Europe named Delgado, and she definitely remembered the cheering in the streets after she was overthrown, and she had heard the term "Great Three" tossed around then. However, it had taken her nearly twenty years to fully comprehend the truth. Her boyfriend was one of the three greatest heroes in Earth's history. Three ordinary men, taken from a suburban town in the United States, became the destroyers of an entire army. Then it came to her. The greatest fighting force in all of creation was walking together in silence. And how fitting it seemed; the Three complemented each other's existence as if they were made to walk next to each other. Not that she cared. It seemed perfect to know them all.

------

Ganon didn't kill the captain for his bravery. Instead, he mused. Onox had rebelled. Of course, he would be branded as dead, killed by Cougar Draven and Link. But still...if Onox was out there...what could he possibly mean to do?

He turned to his latest messenger, and ordered him to bring Veran before him. When she got there, he attempted to show sorrow.

"Veran, I'm afraid I have some bad news..."

------

Cougar sat down with Fire, and watched Link, Kain, and Deacon take seats. He then turned to his girlfriend.

"So, Fire? Who do you want to resume the tale?"

Deacon spoke up.

"I think I have some questions for you two...don't you?"

"Agreed. I'll do the introductions, and Kain can do the first part of our tale, the part these two haven't heard yet. First of all, this is Fire Draven, my girlfriend. And the quiet lad over there is Link, the Hero of Time of this area."

"I see...and why are we here?"

"That's where I take over, Deacon. Actually, hell, you tell us what happened after you got sucked into that Transwarp portal."

"Well, I just ended up in a different realm...the realm of the Oni."

"And you're the chosen Onimusha, right?"

"That's right. I trained there until I felt I was ready to fight with both of these gauntlets. The one on my left arm once belonged to a man named Jacques. It has three more weapons in it. It's awesome."

"Oh, cool. Well...the first thing you need to know is that immediately after you disappeared, Cougar turned to the Dark Side, and spent three years as a Sith Lord. Then we battled, he came back to the Light, and we decided to split up to look for you. I just did my wandering in shadow, and fourteen years later, I end up here, and here's Cougar."

Cougar was about to continue, but a messenger shot into the shelter.

"Cougar Draven, could you come with me? I have a message...from General Onox."

------

A/N: Another one-nighter. Fun shit, right? Believe it or not, Sunrise is almost to the climax. Now, on to part eight! 


	8. The Breaking of the Fellowship

The Great Three Saga Book Four

The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time Sunrise

Chapter Eight: The Breaking of the Fellowship

------

A/N: This is where the story gets harder. I don't even want to write this part, but the story doesn't have much left in it. And this part must be written before I can continue. This is going to be a long haul. There is a lot of story that needs to be told, and the first battle with Ganon will take place this chapter. Short, but there. I took a few weeks off of writing this, because I needed to find my path from start to finish, and because I'm slowly converting all of my work to one massive HTML archive. This is the final fork in the road. It could only go one of two ways, and I picked one. I hope whoever still reads this doesn't hate me for it. This isn't the way I'd really choose to have the story pan out if I could do it again, but at this point, it's writing itself. My original plans didn't involve the Great Three, or Deacon, but character changes are sometimes necessary. Also, this is going to be longer than any other part...it has to be. Also, I keep typing Ganondorf as Ganondork. Somehow, that seems apropos, but it made me laugh anyway.

Story Notes: Cougar Draven and Kain Vengarh stare down the spectres of Hunter and Gene, while Link and Fire rush to the battle, and another person steps into the battle, almost from the lightning itself. Two revelations are made. One, Hunter and Gene have beem transformed into zombies, and two, Deacon Lopez, the Onimusha, has returned to battle. Cougar is gravely injured, but after Kain and Deacon dispose of the zombies, they heal the Dark Draven, and then sit down to compare notes. However, General Onox, following the defeat his men suffered, turned away from Ganon, and wants to see Cougar.

Chapter Notes: First off, I'd like to warn everyone. This isn't everything it used to be. It's something...different. Now, on to brief explanations. Onox refers to a "Valley". He is talking about the Valley of the Gerudo, which might actually be visited this chapter. If not this one, then the next for sure. When we visit it, you'll see how desolate it has become. Even the Gerudo hate the massive prison it becomes. Second, on the subject of Veran's descent into madness. There will be four battles this chapter. Veran takes place in one of them, and I needed to get her there, and I needed to build her hatred toward her opponent. Madness over Onox's "death" worked perfectly. The first battle, I can tell you now, will be Deacon Lopez against Twinrova. Three. The inevitable split of the group is necessary. Oh, and I don't know if anyone even noticed this, but way back in Sunset Chapter 2, I mentioned "other dark warlords" in Methuselah's Garden. Theoretically the Garden is destroyed, but at least one "dark warlord" survived, although that's not quite the term I'd use for him now. He is in this chapter as a one-shot with Onox's benefactor. As a bonus in the HTML archive, I'll complete my Character Archives for all eight parts, every chapter, to cross-reference. Eventually, I'll have a separate file on every character. Also, Link gets his first line in a few chapters in a bit. Oh, and Deacon is Mexican. The guy I based him off of is Mexican. And he'll love the joke Deacon makes about his skin color. So you should, too. One last thing. I know I really haven't shown Cougar in battle much, and there hasn't been one he's unequivocally won yet. That will change. And you'll see the reason he doesn't fight much.

Chapter Notes 2: This is essentially the final third of the story, all at once. This chapter alone clocks in at 7000+ words. And, after six long weeks, this chapter is done. That means that, Sunrise is complete, after eighteen months. I completed another story.

------

Five men and one woman were all that remained of the resistance. They sat around a fire in northern Hyrule. Cougar Draven, Fire Draven, Kain Vengarh, Deacon, Link, and General Onox stared at each other, until Cougar broke the silence.

"What's going on, Onox? Why are you here?"

"It's simple, Cougar. I made a decision. When young Link and I first met, I was but a pawn of Twinrova and Ganon. I knew Ganon only as a mindless beast, because his spirit was sealed away in the Dark Realm. After arriving here and seeing his true rampage, I realize that he needs to be stopped."

"How do I know I can trust you, Onox?"

"This isn't a game, Draven. I've already placed a death sentence upon myself in Ganon's court, for not returning. I'd not risk it with a gambit against you. We both know you can kill me with no problems alone, and with your compatriots, I'd stand no dream's chance in the Valley."

"So why talk to us?"

"I'm headed east for a few weeks, to search someone out who planted the seed of doubt against Ganon in my mind. I have to thank her...she's...a refugee from another time, like you. I plan on bringing weaponry back with me. I wanted you to know that when I come back, I will fight at your side. I want my freedom from my actions."

------

Veran, the new co-ruler of Hyrule, watched her candlelight flicker between yellow and orange, and every time a candle went out, she lit two more. So far, she was up to thirteen. She'd started with three. Her intent was to wait until she could hear Onox's spirit tell her who actually had killed him.

When six more candles flared, she finally heard the answer. She should have known. It was right before her eyes.

------

Cougar watched Onox and his troops march east, then turned to the four people in his resistance movement.

"One week. That's what I'm giving you."

Kain spoke for all of them.

"What do you mean, Cougar?"

"One week to do whatever you want. You each have a Transwarp on you, I've made sure of that. They're also communicators, if we need to get in touch with each other. For one week, we're vanished. Each of us can defeat a man of Onox's stature, and only Ganon can match that. We've had a rough time of it lately. I personally have had to deal with several of my closest friends trying to kill me, and I need to regroup. I think you do too, Fire. Kain, you should go with Deacon, at least for a few days, until he's all caught up, and then you two should split. Link, I think you of all people need a week to decide what to do with yourself, especially after we're done here. I doubt you'll be able to look at life the same."

He turned away from them to gaze at the sky, but continued.

"We can't function as a whole if we can't function as individuals. We need some time to become ourselves, so that somehow we can work with each other. One week is all we have, because that's all I really think we can spare. Any longer, and we might be in serious danger. One week, we'll meet back here. I will be here. I'll spend one full day and one full night here, to rest. Then myself, and whoever's with me, marches on the Castle at Lon Lon. If you choose to stay, or get here before I do, wait for me before you leave. Remember, a week is seven days. I'm not going to order you to do anything, but I'd advise that you not attempt to take on Ganon without Link. Link, I'd suggest you stay away from him for the week while you're alone. Twinrova and Veran should still be guarding Lon Lon. We'll take him out together."

Cougar picked his trenchcoat off the floor of the shelter, then spoke as he was walking out into the cold evening.

"Remember. One week."

------

Imagine, if you will, a week in Hyrule. Seven days of twenty-four hours, just like Cougar's Earth. Suppose we say that Cougar's challenge took place early on a Sunday morning, and Sunday was the day that they would supposedly rendezvous.

Imagine five people leaving a camp in Northern Hyrule, taking three separate roads. Fire headed to her temple instinctively, Link and Cougar headed east towards the Lost Woods, where Link was planning to spend some time, and Kain and Deacon went west, towards the edge of the Hylian Waste. Imagine also, if you will, Cougar's mindset on this Sunday morning, and you will realize one crucial thing that could have saved at least two lives.

Ganon knew exactly where they were, because he had been watching them.

------

DAY 1

------

Kain Vengarh and Deacon Lopez crested the third hill, finally putting the camp behind them. Kain had said he'd debrief Deacon on the way to the edge of the waste, then Kain wanted to head into the mountains. Deacon was planning on seeing the desert.

"So what the hell was all that, Kain?"

"Well, up until you showed up, it's been simple. After that, I have no fucking clue."

Kain began to tell Deacon of the past few months, as the grass they walked on became more and more yellow with each passing step.

------

Cougar Draven and Link walked slowly. They both knew the terrain of the land they were crossing, and neither really was enthusiastic about their destination. Link was intending to see how many of the Kokiri still lived, and Cougar was planning to investigate the Zora.

"So, Link, how's it been? You haven't been very talkative this past month. I've been wondering about you, kid, but I didn't want to bust on you in front of the others."

"I just haven't really had much to say. It's been a hard time for me. I remember the old time, back before, well..."

"Back before my friends and I came and fucked everything up, right?"

"Well...yeah..."

"I'm really sorry about all this, kid. If I could have stopped Morgain from coming...I would have. Once we got here, everything fell apart. I suppose I had it coming. dSi was never as strong as the Great Three. If I had actually spent my time trying to find Deacon, actually stayed with Kain...fuck it. I guess that what's done is done. If I had stayed with Kain then, it would have been too awkward, especially after we'd tried to kill each other. The fifteen years since then have been trying for both of us. Hell, I'm almost 35, and most of this existence has really sucked. You're only 23 now, kid. When I was 23, even the first time, I was already an accomplished hero, as you are, and I was going through some of the same shit you are now. I do have one question for you, which is the main reason I came with you the first leg. What are you going to do after we're finished with Ganon?"

"Well...I don't know, actually. I don't want to go back. I've seen too much, and I'll expect the same, even if I can defeat Ganon twice. I suppose I'll have a family. The Hero of Time can only be a Hero if he's meant to be. I'm no longer the Hero of Time. I'm just glad the Master Sword is safe."

"Yeah, as am I. That's the sword that'll kill Ganon, I'm sure."

If Cougar had known how wrong he was in saying that...well, that's a different story.

------

Fire stood in the main hall of her Temple. Eight years previously, she had embodied the Fire spirits that this temple had been built to worship, and for five years, the Dravens had called the Temple home.

Even the clutter was the same. Cougar's note indicating that he was leaving to retrieve Link...it had been written two months previously, but stood out plain as day in Volvagia's Chamber. Like everything else in the caldera, it brought out memories that Fire didn't need. She climbed to the fifth floor of the Temple, the highest point, and began to meditate.

------

At sunset, Kain and Deacon reached the border of the desert wasteland, such as there was one. Before heading toward the distant hills which surrounded the Northern Hylian Range, Kain turned to Deacon.

"We've got seven or eight days left before the beginning of the war. Stay alive, Deacon. We need you now."

------

The border to the Lost Woods was where Cougar left Link, to head slightly north, to attempt entry to Jabu-Jabu's Fountain.

"Take care of yourself, kid. We need a Hero to survive this war."

"Understood. You do the same, Cougar. I wouldn't be alive except for you."

"After a while, kid, that becomes an insult."

------

Veran marched from her castle stronghold in Lon Lon, into Eastern Hyrule. She knew where all five of them were, thanks to Lord Ganon, and she headed northeast.

------

DAY 2

------

Cougar climbed the final ledge prior to entering the Zora's Domain, and he was reflecting. In his life, he'd been used to being able to avoid the things that had happened in the past few months. He'd always been able to prevent the worst from happening. But somewhere, he had slipped. He'd allowed himself the comfort of accepting collateral damage, and he was standing in the result. A country that he had allowed the destruction of, and everyone still loved him. He couldn't really accept that, not after what Ganon had done to all his friends. Morgain, Howler, Sky, Gene, Hunter...they had been as family, and Ganon had destroyed all that. Sure, Morgain and Howler had allowed it into themselves, but Ganon was still the perpetrator. Cougar had never been one to think about revenge, but revenge was on his mind.

The situation with the Zora wasn't helping any, either. He'd risked annihilation from Ganon's extermination squads just to get this far, and there was nothing there. The Domain was blocked off. Cougar could only guess that the Zora had gone into hiding, but that wasn't enough. He didn't want to muster the Zora for a war, he wanted to make sure they still lived. If Ganon had destroyed another species, he would suffer more. Cougar would make sure of that.

As he turned away, he wondered what the state of Lake Hylia was.

------

Kain trudged upward into the mountains, always on the lookout for Dark Hylians. He'd only been in the country about two months, but he'd seen why Cougar was so down. The Great Three were good at deposing despots, but they'd never fought something like this. Delgado had always been a proper person, with manners, even if she had tried to kill them all. Azareth was a brute, but he had respect for his own holdings, and wouldn't destroy his own lands.

Ganon was different. Ganon would kill anyone, destroy anything, in order to come out ahead. He didn't care that Morgain was dead. He didn't care that Howler was dead. He didn't care that Onox had defected. He was a monster, and he needed to be killed, before he destroyed everyone.

------

Ganon paced in his study, thinking much along the same lines as Kain, although he was pleased with his accomplishments. Veran had been promoted, although she would surely die soon enough. Which would, once again, place Ganon in sole control of the country.

Morgain's influence as co-ruler had helped him, too. Had she lived another year, maybe less, Ganon might have taken her as his own. Her insatiable appetite for destruction and death had impressed Ganon constantly, and aroused him on more than one occasion. He didn't form attachments much, but he almost felt rage at Cougar for that specific murder. He hated Cougar anyway, but it was almost as if he hated him more for killing Morgain.

He was more powerful, too. He had built a new castle. He had wanted to live in the desert, and Morgain had seemed more at home in the Eastern Castle they'd built to replace King Harkinian's Castle. Morgain had then suggested a central castle, so that everyone could be made to follow their rule.

And what a beautiful castle it was. Lon Lon Ranch had seemed the first place, what with Morgain's beautiful assassination of Talon, and Ganon's attempts at subduing Malon. Seven years, the castle had stood. And thousands more, once the mild rabble were eliminated.

------

Deacon headed south through the Haunted Wasteland that now covered the western half of Hyrule. He loved the heat, and the desert wasn't too difficult to navigate, especially if you had lived there all your childhood.

He crested a hill, saw what lay beneath, then contacted Cougar through the Transwarp.

"Yeah, Cougar, it's Uriel. Gonna be a little late. Nah, don't worry about it, I'll be fine. Well, what's he look like? Eight-foot-tall green guy? No, he ain't here. Probably still at his castle. I'm gonna take care of a little business, and I'll either meet you at the castle after I'm done, or I'll just wait here. See you in a few days."

------

DAY 3

------

Link woke up rested. He had finally stopped sobbing last night, when he went to sleep. He had watched the last Kokiri die to a Wolfos injury as he walked in, and had eradicated every last one in the Lost Woods. Then, in a fit of pique, he completed Ganon's work by lighting the Forest Temple on fire, a fire that would surely spread within a week. He had felt safe enough sleeping under the dead Deku Sprout for one night, but afterwards, he had made sure to go.

He stepped into Hyrule Field, knowing exactly what he had to do. The city was west.

------

Deacon side-stepped a Gerudo guard, then cut her in half with his Raizan. It hurt him to kill women, yes, but these were followers of Ganon, and what he did had to be done, or the King of Evil might get away from them. And Deacon, who'd never failed at a mission, wouldn't allow that. It wasn't acceptable to put an entire country at risk just because they might not be as good of fighters as he. Shit, he was the greatest fucking assassin to ever live. No one, save Kain and Cougar, could ever match his fighting skills. Well, maybe this Ganon guy. But no one else.

------

Veran wiped sweat from her forehead. It had been years since she'd had to move without magic. Ganon had told her that the Transwarp Machine could detect use of magic, so she'd have to walk to her destination.

She knew that she could kill her enemy, so it was worth it.

------

Cougar stepped through the marshes on the edge of Hylia, the City on the Lake. He could have used the roads, yes, but then he'd have to deal with more Dark Hylians, and the Dark Hylian Guard just didn't know when to quit sending its men off to die.

Overlooking the Lake, he could see why this was the last refuge for people looking to leave Ganon's Hyrule. The lake itself was almost dank, and the town itself seemed entirely made of disgusting shops and bars filled with prostitutes and drunken loafs. It was one of these latter that Cougar entered.

It was dull and smoky inside, which Cougar had no generic issues with. He'd been known to enjoy a tobacco product every now and then. It was the contents of the bar that bothered him. From wall to wall, the saloon was packed with men who looked as if bathing was a word not in their vocabulary, and every woman in the establishment made him want to cringe in terror. Not because they were fierce fighters, but rather because they were fierce-looking.

Every head turned towards the Draven as he stepped into the room. Certainly a few of the men recognized the man who was wanted more than all criminals but one, and quite a few of them, even ones who might not know him, stood. One of the more clear-headed ones, a man who rivaled Ganon in height and stench, stepped towards him.

"You're not welcome here, stranger."

"Do you know who I am?"

"Aye, Draven, I know. I'm allowing you to leave, or we'll tear you apart."

"I think not."

Cougar Force-threw the behemoth across the bar, and he landed on a table, splintering it and injuring everyone around it. Cougar looked around, waited a second, and when no one else approached him, he raised his voice.

"Now then, shall I begin? I'm looking for a way into the Water Temple. I doubt any of you can tell me how to do it straight away, but my guess is at least one of you can tell me someone who does know. So, any volunteers can come to the front, and I won't hurt you."

Cougar looked around, waiting.

"Nobody?"

He felt a small twitch in the Force...no, two. One, far away, unintelligible at this distance. A strong pull, probably from Kain. After he was done, he'd have to check with Kain. The second was weaker, and within the town, undoubtedly the local Dark Hylians coming to the bar. He'd have to rush this.

"No one? Then let's begin."

------

What was a small twitch to Cougar was a mental fusion explosion to Kain. An impending sense of danger tore through him, and while amplifying it to get it to Cougar, he sprinted in the direction the danger was. He was terrified of what he'd find, though.

It was coming from the Fire Temple.

------

Captain Harmford of the Dark Hylian Peace Squad stood alone with Cougar Draven, outside the back of the bar. The rest of the Lake Hylia DHPS had waited in the saloon, because Harmford had requested a one-on-one meeting to discuss terms.

"No, really, Harmie, I haven't killed anyone this time."

"Draven, my name is Harmford. You know this. And I didn't say you've killed anyone. You're still an enemy of Ganon."

"That's not the point, damn it. All I wanted to do was find a way in the Water Temple. I'll be out of your hair then, Harm. You won't have to see me again."

"I can't let you do that, Cougar."

"See, you should know by now that if I do what you want me to, then I also wanted to. I don't need your permission...and you should know that."

"Technically, you do need my permission. However, I do see your point. we both know you could've killed me at any second since I asked you to stop throwing people around the bar. Why didn't you?"

"Didn't need to. You haven't attacked me with your men yet. By the way, looks like you've got a good squad this time. If they fight me, they might actually last a good ten seconds."

"Yes, well, I haven't attempted to arrest you since I like life, and I'm currently guessing I have a better chance of living if I let one of them get impatient and attempt to attack you. At least then, I can fake my own death and find Lord Onox."

"So you know he lives, then."

"Well, I haven't believed a word from Ganon's mouth since he took power again. I didn't believe it twenty years ago, either. I was only 7 when that happened. No point believing what he couldn't produce. I mean, hell, how many times has he been defeated?"

"Not enough."

"Agreed. Now, what am I to do?"

"Wait here. I'll be back in roughly ten minutes. Do not move, or you may die."

Cougar turned, and went back inside the bar's back door, and one of the DHPS pushed him.

"Where th'fuck you think you're going, maggot? And where's Captain Harmford?"

"Harmie...had an accident. He didn't last long. I'm sorry."

"You're fuckin' lying!"

"Why would I lie, son? I'm the only hope that your citizens have. I'm not like your false King."

"What! I'll kill you!"

"You will try."

The soldier rushed Cougar, only to be cut in half by a quick slice from Cougar's lightsaber. The other nine men followed the first in quick succession, but each met the lightsaber in turn, with Cougar spinning and leaping over each body to cut the next man in half. When they were all dead, Cougar left out the back and met up with Harmford.

"Do you know how to enter the Water Temple?"

"It's the same as it's always been. With your power, you should be able to lift the grate. Hope you can hold your breath."

------

Deacon's Transwarp chirped, and Kain's voice echoed across an empty Fortress.

"Deacon, can you spare a couple of hours? I need you at the Fire Temple."

"Why?"

"I don't know yet. I'm on my way there right now. How close are you?"

"Dude, I'm in the desert. South. Very south."

"Well, why the fuck are you stuck out there?"

"Business. I told Cougar about it. Call Link on a 3-way."

Deacon heard a few blips, and then heard voices.

"Link? It's Kain, and Deacon's on the line too. We need to ask you something."

"What's up? I can't promise anything right now, though. I'm traveling right now."

"That's cool, Deacon said he's out in the desert right now. I need you to check out the Fire Temple if you can. I'm up in the mountains north of the Castle Ruins, and it'll take me at least a day to get there, and that's going fast. It might take me two days."

"I can't right now. I'm headed southwest."

"I thought you were headed to the Lost Woods."

"Change of plans. Everything's fir-- uh, fine there."

"Are you okay, Link?"

"Yeah, Kain, I'm fine."

"Well...I suppose. I'm out of this chat for a while, boys. I'm gonna try Cougar."

"Why don't you call Fire?"

"She's not answering. That's why I'm calling Cougar. Call it a ripple in the Force."

"Whatever, Kain. I'm gonna stay on the line with the Link-man for a bit."

"Works for me. Vengarh out."

Deacon paused for a second, then spoke to Link.

"You sound like you need an ear that hasn't heard your story before, son. Want to talk?"

"Not particularly. Where in the desert you at?"

"The Gerudo Fortress. Why?"

"You get captured?"

"Fuck no. I took care of a few preparations. Why you ask?"

"Well...you want to plan something?"

------

DAY 4

------

"Fuck!"

Kain snapped the cover of his Transwarp shut. He'd tried to contact Cougar for too damn long, and he'd gotten nothing. At this rate, whatever the Force was saying would do no good. So he started on his way southeast through the mountains, towards the largest peak in the range.

He was fast, but not godly. It'd take him a day or so to hit his destination. God, but that would have to be good enough.

He hoped Fire could take care of herself.

------

Cougar wasn't too pleased, either. Monsters just pissed him off. Plus, this one was a fucking amoeba. That just made it worse.

"Harmford, stay the fuck away from the--oh, shit!"

He heard Harmford scream, and saw the former captain flung across the spiked room. He looked at the shimmering aquatic creature, and frowned.

"Fuck this. I can do better."

With that, he jumped in.

------

Kain sprinted onto a mesa, roughly halfway to Death Mountain, when he happened to look to the southeast.

The forest was on fire.

------

Deacon yawned. He was waiting for Link to pick up his end of the deal they'd made the day before, but he was bored anyway. He'd killed every Gerudo in the desert, and so he was just waiting in the fortress. At least, he waited until he heard some low voices coming from the training ground that hadn't been there. He hid, until he saw two diminutive witches with green skin float by. They were chatting with each other.

"Where, oh where have all the Gerudo gone, Koume?"

"I don't know, Kotake."

Deacon stepped from behind his building and addressed them directly.

"Maybe I can help you find your lost soldiers, ladies."

Twinrova spun around slowly, and they eyed Deacon carefully. Koume spoke to her sister slowly, but not quietly.

"Look at this, Kotake. A fine specimen, indeed. Built like a man, and yet with the skin color of the Gerudo...perhaps he is the next Gerudo king?"

"Yes, 'tis possible, Koume. This lad could have been born twenty years ago. Perhaps he is the next King of Evil? I sense Ganon's time ending soon."

Deacon, incensed at their words, could hold his fury in no longer.

"Hey! Check the skin color, bitch! It's brown, not green. I'm not just some random Gerudo. I'm one of the Great Three. I trust you know my friends, Cougar Draven and Kain Vengarh?"

Twinrova looked at him, anger emanating off of them, while Deacon carefully chose one weapon on each arm. Enryuu for that one's ice, and Chigo for the other's fire...this could work. He grinned, and sprung.

------

Fire jumped. The voice had come from behind her, and she wasn't expecting visitors. She embodied the spirits in the Temple, and had expected to spend the week meditating on the fate of Hyrule, and the fate of herself and Cougar. She turned to find the owner of the voice. She spat the name of her would-be assailant with burning fury.

"Veran."

"You're the one that killed Onox, aren't you, girlie? That's what my candles say you've done."

"Veran, Onox is still alive. Ganon lies to you. He does it all the time, I'm sure."

"No, you lie! I've been shown that you killed him, and I'm here to kill you. And even if I fail...I thought to bring a friend..."

Her body shuddered, as did that of Fire, and an explosion was heard outside of the Temple. Fire glared at Veran from her peak, and jumped down.

"If it's a fight you wish, I'll not disappoint you. I will, however, defeat you."

Fire struck with her whip, simultaneously burning Veran and sending her sprawling to the floor. I can do this.

------

Ganondorf Dragmire turned to the sun, moving towards its place high in the sky. He was beginning to wonder what had happened to Cougar and his band. Perhaps Onox's men had lied, and he had been killed in battle. Perhaps he had taken Cougar with him. Either way, none of the five criminals had even attempted to enter the city, and for that, Ganon was quite pleased.

At least, he was until a messenger sprinted into his outer chambers, gasping for breath.

"Lord Ganon! The city walls have been breached! Link of the Kokiri is headed straight for the castle at full speed!"

Well, Ganon thought, there goes that theory.

"Fine," he spoke aloud, "I'll fight him myself."

He stepped outside Lon Lon Castle, expecting a prim Hero of Time. What he got was a leather boot to the face from the Hero, now clad in black from head to toe. Ganon was knocked back, but laughed.

"I see Cougar taught you a few new tricks. And new clothes, too! You could almost be my equal."

"Put up or shut up, Ganon!"

------

Cougar climbed out of the pool. The amoeba had been no match for a sadistic Draven with a lightsaber. He walked over to Harmford, who lay nearby, impaled on a spike.

"Sorry...I couldn't...help...cough!"

"Don't worry about it, Harmie. Do you have any last requests?"

"Yeah...don't...call me...Harmie..."

Harmford slumped his head, and Cougar knelt by him, saying a few silent prayers to a God he only half believed in, then picked up Harmford's body. He then stood, and walked into the portal nearby, taking him to the entrance of the Zora. He jumped through the waterfall, and entered the hidden Domain of the Zora.

------

Kain saw Death Mountain from afar, and he watched, shocked, as something large, and on fire, emerged from the side.

"Oh, fuck."

------

At that time, all over Hyrule, three battles were underway. One between a Mexican Onimusha who preached a gospel of pain and two agelessly immortal witches. One between a sorceress of evil and one of fire. And a battle, twenty years overdue, between a Hero of Time and a King of Evil.

And the person who could have put the pain, hatred, and death off for some time was busy, forgetting who his friends were, in favor of himself.

Just like he wanted.

------

DAY 5

------

Cougar was amazed. Some of Onox's men had taken Harmford's body from Cougar, and he was waiting on Onox as he spoke. The Zoras had been saved through Onox's guidance from their Benefactor, as they called her. And all this time, Cougar had thought Onox was evil until the very end. Perhaps he was wrong. He even had hope that he could get along with the Benefactor, until he physically saw who the Benefactor was. Or rather, who she was married to.

"So you're behind this, too?"

"I think not, Master Draven. Or have you turned to the Dark Side again?"

Cougar stood face to face with someone of his height, with dark brown hair, an unruly beard, and colored sunglasses. He'd met the man before, long ago, during the original campaign that earned Cougar and Kain their Jedi training. Gendou Ikari had seen Cougar as the most powerful Jedi of his era, and as the most powerful Sith, too.

"I'm still as light as it gets, Ikari. Why are you here?"

"It's a funny story, Draven. Sit for a while, and I'll tell you."

Cougar's Transwarp chirped, and he answered.

------

"Cougar?"

"Yeah, Kain. What's up?"

"You wouldn't happen to have any free time on you, would you?"

"Well, right now, I'm in the Zora's Domain, chatting with an old friend of ours. Why, what's going on?"

"Well, where to begin? Deacon's in the fucking desert on 'business'."

"Yeah, he told me. It's cool."

"Link's headed southwest from the Lost Woods, which are ON FIRE, by the way."

"What?"

"You heard me. Next, and biggest, Fire has been in danger almost since I lost contact with you, I know Veran's on her way into the Fire Temple, because she thinks Fire killed Onox, and I JUST SAW A SIXTY-FOOT-LONG DRAGON POP OUT OF THE FUCKING MOUNTAIN."

"...FUCK! This isn't good, Kain. You can handle Volvagia, I think. I'm gonna Transwarp into the Temple. I'll see you in a minute. Draven out."

"Vengarh out."

------

Cougar turned to Gendou and Yui, as Onox, who'd heard him yelling, ran up.

"Glad to see you made it, Cougar. What's wrong?"

"Veran is gonna try to kill Fire, Link's missing, and possibly insane, and Deacon and Kain are out of range. Not to mention my Transwarp won't let me to point-to-point from in here."

"What?"

"Ganon's been spreading a lie that we killed you, Onox. Veran apparently thinks Fire was behind it, and is headed to the Fire Temple. And that means that unless we finish this now, you might be in danger too. Where's the nearest point that I can p-to-p from?"

"I don't know, Cougar. My guess would be from Hyrule Field."

"Fine, I'm on my way. We'll have to reminisce later, Gendou."

Cougar sprinted from the Domain, leaping the gated wall with a single Force-assisted leap.

------

Deacon brushed sweat from his brow, grinning, while he had the fire witch tangled in the Chigo's chain. The other witch was held at bay by the Enryuu. The fight had been...amusing to him. He was used to fighting alone, against a number of opponents ranging from one to one thousand, and he always won.

He grew tired of keeping both of them alive, and retracted the Chigo, dissecting the witch brutally. Green blood spewed everywhere, and splashed his face and body.

Koume, seeing her sister's brutal defeat, attempted to flee, but was speared in the side by the Enja whip. She was pulled to face Deacon, covered in Kotake's gore, and shuddered at the sick smile on his face.

"Barbecue time!"

She felt the first few hits with the Enryuu, but eventually, she stopped feeling. And seeing. And breathing.

Deacon cast aside the body of the second witch, and sat down on a rock. Now, to wait.

------

Ganon was able to parry a few strikes with his shor' sword, but it was clear that Link was the superior warrior. So Ganon decided it was time to come up with a second plan.

He ran. Not with a horse, but on foot. Although he was fast, Link was keeping up with him nicely. Finally, he broke through the edge of the city, and, trailing the Hero, sprinted across western Hyrule, directly towards the Gerudo Fortress.

Just like Link wanted.

------

Fire wasn't doing so well. She was hitting Veran with her whip, but as a turtle, it didn't hurt her, and she was sending bees around to attack. The bees were somewhat taken care of by a few blasts of pure elemental fire, but there were always more of them.

Finally, Veran sprung her last trap. She sent a full squadron of bees straight at Fire, then transformed into a bee herself. Attacking from the side, she stung Fire at least a dozen times before Fire hit her with the whip, knocking her sprawling.

Fire stood as long as she could, but soon, she was swaying, and falling.

------

Cougar sprinted into Eastern Hyrule Field. From where he was, he could see the fires in the Lost Woods. But he didn't have time to deal with that presently. He had to watch Fire first.

He activated his Transwarp, locking onto Fire's signal, and he was gone.

------

Kain had taunted Volvagia enough that the dragon had begun an attack on him, however idiotic that truly was. Every turn Volvagia made, Kain sliced off another segment. Soon, there wouldn't be enough Volvagia left to attack him.

He just hoped that was soon enough.

------

Cougar caught Fire as she fell, and, amidst Veran's taunts, he tended to his girlfriend's wounds as best she could, but she wasn't responding the way he wanted her to. He saw Kain sprint in out of his peripheral vision, and waved him off. This was why he was the great Jedi Master he was supposed to be.

Fire caught his arm, and, for the first time, he looked into her eyes. He was crying.

"I'm sorry, Fire. I failed you."

"Don't be sorry, John. Remember who you are, not who you are supposed to be."

She grabbed his head, and drew him into a passionate kiss, then she fell limp.

------

Inside Cougar's psyche, a massive battle was ensuing for the rights to his soul. If we can imagine the three parts vying for control as Cougar Draven, the Jedi, 667, the Sith, and John Hetfield, the original human, then we might have seen something like this:

667: This is proof. He is mine to control.  
Cougar: Doubtful. I'm the one who has controlled him for fifteen years.  
667: And look what it's gotten him! He lost his girlfriend because of your stupid fucking let's-split-up-and-search-for-clues idea!  
Cougar: Very funny, Sixy.  
667: How many times have I told you not to call me that?  
Cougar: Then shut the fuck up already!  
667: You shut the fuck up!

Cougar and 667 drew lightsabers, Cougar's blue, 667's red. Finally, Hetfield could stand no more.

John Hetfield: Enough! Look at you two! You're both taking this personally! What just happened to Fire might have happened under the guise of a Sith Army, 667. And Cougar, I don't care if you've controlled this body for fifteen years, it's still my fucking body. And, if I got my way, I'd just go home, try to pick things up with Jess, who, by the way, YOU alienated, and live a happy life. I can't have my way anymore, though, because thanks to you two fuckers, I have to listen to my conscience. And my conscience is telling me that I can't allow this. I can't have you two idiots fighting over control of this body, because I need you both. Remember, boys, the lightsabers we carry are known as "Moodsabers" for a reason. If either one of you takes full control, that silver hue will change. I guarantee it. We both know Kain never took a lightsaber from you when you were in control, 667. He just needed something to say. Now, if you don't mind, I'm gonna recommend that this gets finished. Just take care of it, boys. And...work together.

------

Cougar Draven stood, laying Fire's body down gently, then he rounded on Veran, and even Kain cringed at the pain and anger in his eyes. He'd seen where this led before.

Cougar raised his hands, and fierce purple lightning shot from his hands. The majority of it speared Veran, beginning to electrocute her while it shot her into the air, flying towards the wall. One branch, however, encircled Fire's whip, straightening it, and turning it into a spear made completely of elemental fire.

Cougar kept shocking Veran until she went limp, then he threw the spear with the Force and watched it impale her, sealing her to the wall. Then, and only then, did he stop the Force lightning.

He walked back over to Fire's body, fell to the ground, and sobbed.

------

DAY 6

------

Ganon felt the pain and hate radiating from the northeast, and he was pleased. Perhaps Veran had done her job. Well, he was pleased, up until he saw who was waiting for him at the entrance to the Gerudo's Valley.

"Hi! You must be Ganon. I'm Deacon. Don't think we've properly met."

Ganon looked around, saw Link closing in, looked back at Deacon, seeing the bodies of Koume and Kotake, and smiled bitterly.

"You planned this."

"We out-tricked the trickster. How about that?"

------

Kain let Cougar get most of it out, when he received a call on his Transwarp.

"Yeah, this is Vengarh."

"Master Vengarh, this is Gendou Ikari."

"Ikari, what the fuck?"

"Relax. Master Draven expressed some concerns before he left the Domain. Are all of you safe?"

"Unfortunately, no. We lost a friend, someone especially close to Cougar."

"I was afraid of that. I've sent Onox and some men to collect her body. We'll treat it safely, and perhaps we'll be able to revive her."

"I'll let him know, and I'll talk with you soon, Gendou."

"Affirmed, Kain. Ikari out."

Kain walked over to Cougar.

"Hey, bro, snap out of it."

Cougar stood, but without the fire that had powered him.

"What, Kain?"

"Ikari just called me. Onox and some boys are already en route to pick her up. We have some other business to attend to, right?"

"...yeah, I guess."

"Look at your tracker. All the signals have gathered in two places. Here...and..."

"The entrance to the Gerudo Valley...that's where Deacon's been the entire time!"

"I'd guessed as much. Cougar, Link's slipping. He's engaged Ganon in battle, he set the Lost Woods on fire again, and he knows he's only got one chance! We have to stop Ganon now. There are no tomorrows. I'm asking you to put your grief on hold for one day, so we can fix this."

"I understand...let's get going."

------

DAY 7

------

Cougar picked up Fire's Transwarp, and opened a portal for them. Kain looked at him skeptically.

"Are you sure you want to hang on to that?"

"I want it with me. Until I see her again, I'm keeping it."

------

Ganon looked from Deacon to Link, and back again. They'd been gentle so far, but this wouldn't do for long. He had to find a way to turn the tide against these two, and the possibility of using them against each other wouldn't work. They both wanted him dead.

Then it just got worse. Cougar Draven and Kain Vengarh stepped from another portal created by those infernal Transwarp Mach--

That was it!

------

Ganondorf Dragmire rushed Cougar Draven, knocking him backward, causing Fire's Transwarp to fly out of his hands. Ganon caught it, opened a portal, and was gone.

Cougar grabbed Link and threw him through the portal, looking at Kain and Deacon.

"I'll be back. Find Onox, and I'll join you when we're through here."

Then Cougar was gone too.

------

Kain Vengarh and Deacon Lopez entered the Zora's Domain under accolades. Ganon the tyrant was gone from the land of Hyrule, and with Link and Cougar after him, would surely die. This time, for good.

Onox was sworn in as King, and a revived Harmford made General of his Armies. Gendou and Yui Ikari said they'd wait for Cougar to return, for they'd things to talk with him about.

Kain and Deacon took in the worship gladly, and they were happy to rest...

------

...but somewhere inside, even Cougar wasn't sure how he'd survive this. 


End file.
